NORTHERN IRELAND

Terrorism

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether any of 187 on-the-runs issued with administrative letters were being sought in connection with the Omagh Bombing of 15 August 1998; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  of how many murders the 187 on-the-runs issued with administrative letters had been suspected; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  of how many bomb explosions in total the 187 on-the-runs issued with administrative letters had been suspected; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: On 27 February the Prime Minister announced that a judge would be appointed to undertake an independent review to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs”, which will include a factual check of all letters issued. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.

Terrorism

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  if she will take steps to inform (a) hon. Members and (b) the public about (i) the progress of the judge-led inquiry into the administrative scheme to deal with on-the-runs before the conclusion of that inquiry, (ii) the papers being considered by that inquiry and (iii) the current and former Ministers who are invited to give evidence to that inquiry;
	(2)  if she will meet all hon. Members from Northern Ireland who take their seats in the House to discuss the implications of the matters to be considered by the judge-led inquiry into the administrative scheme to deal with on-the-runs for the ongoing Haass process.

Theresa Villiers: Right hon. Lady Justice Hallett DBE has been appointed to conduct the judge-led inquiry. This independent investigation will provide a full account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs”. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication. I would be happy to meet with hon. Members thereafter.

Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will review the answers to written and oral parliamentary questions given by Ministers in her Department in Parliament about the issue of an amnesty or any other process dealing with on-the-runs since 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: On 27 February the Prime Minister announced that a judge would be appointed to undertake an independent review to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs”.
	This review will also include a factual check of all letters issued. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.
	The right hon. Member may also wish to be aware that Ministers have no responsibility for statements made by members of a previous administration. If hon. Members from the previous Government wish to come to the House and clarify what they have said previously, that is a matter for them.

Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the people issued with letters under the administrative scheme for on-the-runs are from (a) Northern Ireland, (b) the rest of the UK, (c) the Irish Republic and (d) elsewhere.

Theresa Villiers: On 27 February the Prime Minister announced that a judge would be appointed to undertake an independent review to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs”, which will include a factual check of all letters issued. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Currencies

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  whether the Serious Fraud Office has plans to investigate allegations of currency market manipulation by employees of British banks;
	(2)  what discussions the director of the Serious Fraud Office has had with his counterparts in (a) the Financial Conduct Authority and (b) prosecutors and regulators overseas on allegations of currency market manipulation by employees of British banks.

Dominic Grieve: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 4 December 2013, Official Report, column 679W.
	The director of the Serious Fraud Office and other officials meet with the Financial Conduct Authority, and liaise with overseas jurisdictions regularly. For the reasons outlined in my previous answer, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on whether specific allegations had been discussed.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General when he became aware that the Serious Fraud Office had been wrongly claiming VAT on barristers' fees; and what steps he took when he had received that information.

Dominic Grieve: The director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) informed me that there was an issue concerning VAT liability in March 2013. I was satisfied that the director was taking appropriate steps in response.

Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Attorney-General in how many cases under the administrative scheme for on-the-runs his Department has been involved in (a) between 2001 and 2010 and (b) 2010 to date.

Dominic Grieve: On 27 February, the Prime Minister announced that a judge would be appointed to undertake an independent review to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme relating to so-called "on-the-runs", which will include a factual check of all letters issued. Rt. Hon Lady Justice Hallett has now been appointed to conduct this review. Her report is expected to be provided to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.

Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland on the administrative scheme which gave on-the-runs letters regarding their status within the UK.

Dominic Grieve: I have had no discussions on this matter with the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland.

JUSTICE

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funds are dedicated to the rehabilitation and management of offenders convicted under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Jeremy Wright: On conviction for any offence, it is for the court to determine the appropriate sentence in each case. Where a community order or custodial sentence is imposed, the allocation of resources to the management of individual offenders is usually based on an offender's risk of harm to others and likelihood of reconviction, taking into account a wide range of factors such as past offending, drug misuse, educational attainment or their thinking and behaviours. Typically, assessments are carried out by an offender manager and the legislation under which the offender is convicted would not determine the content of the sentence. Offenders convicted under the Computer Misuse Act will receive different levels of supervision and different types of intervention, within the parameters of the sentence handed down by the Court. It is not possible to provide information on funding allocated to offenders sentenced under different Acts.

Distress Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how long approved enforcement agents hold distress warrants before they are returned to his Department as uncollected.

Shailesh Vara: The present contract states that the distress warrants should be returned after 180 days, but allows for this to be extended in blocks of 30-days with the approval of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) enforcement manager. Extensions are normally granted where the approved enforcement agents have engaged with the offender and have entered into a payment plan or they have new intelligence to pursue, which could result in the payment of the debt.
	HMCTS takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012-13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year.
	HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to HM Courts and Tribunal Service is of an appeal regarding an employment and support allowance decision.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of benefits and credits.
	HMCTS cannot isolate costs data relating to particular benefits. The estimated average cost of an individual SSCS tribunal case across all benefits in 2012-13 (the most recent figure available) was £248. Costs remain below the average in 2009-10 (£293).

ICT

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department paid to Steria UK for its work on the Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning system for shared services.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice contracted with Steria, following a competitive process under OJEU regulations (contract award reference number 2011/S 61-098274), for the provision of Application Development and Maintenance Services in relation to the development of a new Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning system for shared services. The actual amount paid is commercial in confidence but it did not exceed the contract limit.

Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what services his Department provides that are (a) available online only and (b) planned to move to online only.

Shailesh Vara: None of our services is available only online. To support those that do not have access to digital channels the information and services provided online can still be accessed via phone, post or face-to-face interaction dependant on the service.
	Although the aim is to make Government services digital by default, the Government also recognises that not everyone who uses these services is online, so digital support will be available to those users that need it.

Pay

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees of his Department and its agencies had a salary in excess of (a) £100,00 and (b) £142,000 per annum on 1 February (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013 and (iv) 2014.

Shailesh Vara: The number of officials in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies (Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Legal Aid Agency) that earned a full-time equivalent (FTE) salary in excess of £100,000 and £142,000 as of 1 February 2011, 1 February 2012, 1 February 2013 and 1 February 2014 is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Number of employees earning FTE salary in excess of: 
			 As at 1 February: £100,000 £142,000 
			 2011 38 7 
			 2012 31 4 
			 2013 24 4 
			 20141 29 3 
			 1 The figures for 1 February 2014 includes staff in Legal Aid Agency which became an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice on 1 April 2013. Staff in Legal Aid Agency would not have been included in the previous years 
		
	
	This information is based on payroll reports from 31 January of each year requested, as payroll reports reflect the end of month position and is the nearest date to 1 February.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter and serving prison sentences were later reassessed and re-categorised to the open prison category; and how many of such offenders have absconded from an open prison since 1984.

Jeremy Wright: Despite the slight increase in 2012-13, absconds have been falling for nearly two decades. In 2011-12 there were just 175 absconds, the lowest numbers since central records began. This compares to 952 in 1995-96.
	It is not possible to give the numbers of prisoners convicted of specific offences who have subsequently been recategorised to Category D/Open. Details of the index offence of absconders are only available in an accessible format since April 2004, this is provided in table 1; table 2 provides details of how many of these remain unlawfully at large. To provide details of the index offences prior to this date would require manual interrogation of different sets of electronic records which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Prisoners may only be recategorised to Category D/Open if they are assessed as low enough risk to be safely managed in conditions of lesser security. Recategorisation to Category D/Open is never an automatic progression.
	Open prison plays a valuable role in the effective rehabilitation and re-integration into the community of many long sentence prisoners and as such is an important factor in reducing future re-offending and in protecting the public. For Indeterminate Sentence Prisoners in particular it is an opportunity to be tested in less stringent conditions in order to help demonstrate to the Parole Board suitability for release into the community.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of absconders with index offence of manslaughter or murder, by financial year 
			 Financial year Index offence of manslaughter Index offence of murder 
			 2004-05 4 17 
			 2005-06 4 19 
			 2006-07 6 13 
			 2007-08 2 6 
			 2008-09 5 6 
			 2009-10 0 11 
			 2010-11 2 17 
			 2011-12 2 8 
			 2012-13 0 9 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of absconders with index offence of manslaughter or murder, by financial year, who remain unlawfully at large 
			 Financial year Index offence of manslaughter Index offence of murder 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2005-06 0 1 
			 2006-07 1 1 
			 2007-08 0 0 
			 2008-09 0 0 
			 2009-10 0 0 
			 2010-11 0 0 
			 2011-12 0 0 
			 2012-13 0 0 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
		
	
	Figures for the number of absconds since 1995 are provided in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to his Department was of a social security tribunal case in each year since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of benefits and credits.
	The following table shows the estimated average cost to HMCTS of an individual SSCS appeal in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 (the latest date for which information is available).
	
		
			 Estimated average cost of an SSCS appeal 
			 Period Individual cost of an appeal (£) 
			 2010-11 239 
			 2011-12 228 
			 2012-13 248 
		
	
	The increase in the average cost of an appeal in 2012-13 was due to a change in the mix and volume of cases that the SSCS tribunal receives. Employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals now comprise a larger proportion of the caseload. ESA cases require more members on the tribunal panel, which increases the average cost. Costs remain below the average in 2009-10 (£293).

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Disadvantaged

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of levels of involvement in the arts of people in socially deprived areas.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS' Taking Part Survey collects information on levels of engagement in the arts for people resident in socially deprived areas. Latest data show that 67% of adults who live in the 10% most deprived areas in England had engaged in arts in the last year by either attending or participating. DCMS provides funding for the arts via Arts Council England which has specific initiatives in place to encourage engagement in the arts, for example: Creative People and Places investing in areas where involvement in the arts is below the national average, and its Strategic Touring programme, supporting places which rely on touring for much of their arts provision.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, columns 509-10W, on electoral registration, if his Department will sponsor a national registration week.

Greg Clark: The Government welcomes initiatives that promote democratic engagement, such as the British Youth Council's Make Your Mark campaign and the recent Parliament Week programme. In February it announced that all 363 local authorities and valuation joint boards in Great Britain, and five national organisations, will share £4.2 million funding to promote voter registration.
	The Government continues to consider further ways to promote voter registration and welcomes discussions with national organisations about such initiatives.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Argentina

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) steps the Government has taken and (b) advice his Department has given to operators of cruise liners in respect of cruise liner companies being requested to remove the red ensign when docking in Argentina; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains regular contact with companies operating cruise liners around Argentina and the South Atlantic.
	I was very concerned to hear reports that the Red Ensign of the Cunard cruise liner, the MS Queen Victoria, was lowered when the vessel docked in Argentina.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have investigated the matter with Carnival UK, the owners of the MS Queen Victoria. They have confirmed that the Argentine pilot assigned to the MS Queen Victoria by the Argentine Port Authority advised the company that it would be better to lower the Red Ensign flag and to fly the Cunard flag while entering the Port of Ushuaia on 30 January 2014. The matter has been raised with the Argentine ambassador to London.
	It is unacceptable that a ship should have to lower its flag. We have not received further reports of similar requests from operators, but we continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to offer advice and support to any British companies or passengers as required.

Christianity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make lessening the persecution of Christians worldwide a key part of his foreign policy.

David Lidington: The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief is a key priority for this Government. Lessening the persecution of Christians is a fundamental part of this policy. We regularly raise our concerns about the persecution of Christians with other countries either bilaterally, with EU partners or in multilateral fora.
	Last November Senior Minister of State, my noble friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi gave a speech in Washington stressing the need for an international response to the rising tide of religious persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. We believe that the best way to combat the persecution of Christians is by adopting a cross-faith approach. History points to the fact that intolerance is only defeated when we come together across divides and argue for the case of freedom for all. Building on the Washington Speech, Baroness Warsi will host a conference later this year focusing on promoting the benefits of religious pluralism, responsible media reporting and better practical projects, as well as encouraging countries to protect this fundamental, yet threatened, human right.

Egypt

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the British journalists employed by Al-Jazeera put on trial by the Egyptian authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We can confirm that we have received representations in respect of the British journalists who are being tried by the Egyptian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement on 6 February drawing attention to our concerns with the restrictions on freedom of the media and the charges laid against journalists in Egypt. We are watching closely the ongoing trial in Cairo and we have raised our concerns about media freedoms at a senior level within the Egyptian Government and we will continue to do so. The UK has clearly stated that freedom of expression, including freedom of the media and the ability for citizens to debate issues and challenge their Governments, is fundamental to building a democratic society.

Eritrea

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of levels of enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 2023 on Eritrea and the diaspora tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK supports United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023, which condemned Eritrea's use of the diaspora tax to destabilise the Horn of Africa region and decided that Eritrea should cease this along with the use of illicit means to collect it.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has reminded the Eritrean ambassador to the UK of the Eritrean Government's obligations under the resolution. We have also urged members of the Eritrean diaspora to report to the police the use of coercion or other illicit means to collect the tax. We will continue to engage with the diaspora and other enforcement bodies in the UK on this issue.

Pakistan

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the government of Pakistan on implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1618.

Hugh Robertson: We have not held discussions with the Government of Pakistan on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1618, which concerns Iraq.
	We have had extensive discussions with the Government of Pakistan regarding Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 on combating religious intolerance. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, regularly raises the issue of religious intolerance at the highest levels. She is actively involved in encouraging states, including Pakistan, to take practical measures to implement UN HRC Resolution 16/18. Last September during UNGA week, she brought together Ministers and senior officials, including those from Pakistan, to discuss what more politicians could do to fight religious intolerance. Further meetings are planned this year, with an emphasis on building support for practical solutions to sectarianism and violence.

Sri Lanka

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Statement by the Prime Minister of 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 959-61, on Commonwealth meeting and the Philippines, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Sri Lanka since the Prime Minister's call for an independent into alleged war crimes in that country.

Hugo Swire: The Government regularly discusses the situation in Sri Lanka at ministerial and official level with both the Sri Lankan Government and with other foreign Governments. We have had a number of meetings with the Sri Lankan Government since November 2013, including a meeting between the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Peiris in December 2013. In addition, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to London was invited and attended the gathering of Commonwealth High Commissioners that I hosted at Lancaster House on 24 February 2014.
	The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has now called for an international investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law on both sides during the civil war. We agree that, given the lack of a credible domestic accountability process to date, an independent international investigation is now needed. I set this out in my speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3 March. We are now working to achieve a UN Human Rights Council resolution which calls for an international investigation, in addition to addressing ongoing human rights concerns in Sri Lanka.

TRANSPORT

Business: Road Works

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what guidance he issues to the Highways Agency on minimising the effect of road works on local business;
	(2)  whether his Department issues guidance on the level of acceptable disruption to local traffic and business caused by road works.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport does not provide guidance on the acceptable level of disruption caused locally by road works.
	The Highways Agency and local highway authorities co-ordinate planned roadworks, and emergency roadworks, to minimise disruption by controlling the times of day, week and year that work can be done on different streets.
	The Traffic Management Act 2004 requires highway authorities to manage their road network to secure expeditious movement of traffic, whilst taking into account their other obligations.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle owners registered to use Dart-tag in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Robert Goodwill: The number of new registrations to use Dart-tag between 2010 and 2013 are as follows:
	
		
			  Accounts opened 
			 2010 20,081 
			 2011 18,603 
			 2012 22,838 
			 2013 21,124 
		
	
	These figures include registrations for the local resident discount scheme.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the full cost of operating the toll booths at the Dartford crossing was for the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The full cost of operating the toll booths at the Dartford Crossing, where figures are available, is:
	
		
			 Period Costs paid (£) 
			 September 2009-March 2010 4,403,250 
			 April 2010-March 2011 5,518,759 
			 April 2011-March 2012 5,968,683 
			 April 2012-March 2013 6,725,414 
			 April 2013-January 20141 6,112,103 
			 Total 28,728,209 
			 1 Accounts have only been produced to January 2014, therefore only 10 months data is available. 
		
	
	Costs prior to 13 September 2009 were paid to the previous Crossing operator, Le Crossing. The figures for September 2009 to March 2010 include re-organisation costs.
	These costs include:
	Plaza-The cost of running the physical plaza operations (toll booths).
	Cash Office-The cost of handling all the cash from the plaza, banking it, and allowing it to be transferred to the Secretary of State.
	Customer Centre-The cost of providing a DART-Tag pre-paid system for use by customers.

Highways Agency

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Highway Agency's complaints procedures.

Robert Goodwill: The Department regularly meets with representatives from its executive agencies to discuss complaint handling.
	In October 2013, an Independent Complaints Assessor (ICA) reviewed access to the Highways Agency's own complaints procedure. He was positive about the information supplied on the website and the information leaflet. He also considered the two stage process before referral to the ICA, which includes a review and response from the Chief Executive, as good practice. Putting Things Right, the leaflet which explains the agency's complaints procedure, is available on their website at:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/complaints-procedure/how-to-make-a-complaint/

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps he has taken to protect personnel in recruitment offices.

Andrew Murrison: A protective screening system for all mail to Armed Forces Career Offices has been implemented by Royal Mail and British Forces Post Office. We will keep this system in place for as long as necessary. We are examining how we might introduce similar screening measures across all UK Ministry of Defence facilities but, given the current threat assessment, this would not be a proportionate response at this stage. We will keep this matter under close review.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether prosecutors who undertake rape and serious sexual assault prosecutions for the Services' Prosecuting Authority are required to undergo the Crown Prosecution Service's rape specialist training and accreditation.

Andrew Murrison: Yes. The Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) has a number of prosecutors specifically trained to conduct cases involving rape and serious sexual offences. There are currently 10 officers who have had training and have the experience to conduct such cases as they arise. That training will include attendance on the rape and serious sexual offences course run by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Conflict Resolution: Females

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 67W, on conflict resolution: females, with which bodies (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had discussions on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is engaged fully with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and the associated resolutions, alongside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development. The FCO have the policy lead and their Ministers maintain the lead on this resolution.
	The three Departments are responsible for the UK National Action Plan for UN Security Council Resolution 1325; the third iteration is due to be launched in June of this year at the Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence. In the production of this National Action Plan officials from the three Departments meet regularly with members of civil society and representatives from non-governmental organisations, co-ordinated through Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) who also provide the secretariat for the Associate Parliamentary Group on UNSCR 1325.
	Officials are also engaged with allies, notably the US and Canada, in identifying best practices and also with NATO which has made substantial progress in the development of doctrine and procedures for the implementation of UNSCR 1325.

Electric Vehicles

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to spend the funds for plug in vehicle charge points announced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles in January 2014 allocated to (a) his Department centrally and (b) the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

Philip Dunne: The plans to spend funds for plug in vehicle charge points will be to install two or three vehicle charge points at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, RAF Northolt and possibly RAF Halton by the end of March 2014 and to install 13 vehicle charge points at DSTL sites primarily in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Kent over the next two years.

War Memorials: World War II

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will support the placing of a commemorative plaque in Whitehall to honour those who served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

Andrew Murrison: Those who served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) have undertaken a wide spectrum of tasks, from cryptography to meteorology, engineering, driving, and operating barrage balloons. They are the embodiment of selfless service to their country, and I would welcome any plans to honour them, perhaps in association with the existing monument to the Women of World War II on Whitehall.
	The WAAF is already specifically commemorated at the National Memorial Arboretum. It is the policy of successive Governments that the cost of erecting new memorials is not usually met from public funds, but from private donations or public subscription. Responsibility for the design, location, maintenance, protection, and any decision about what a memorial commemorates rests with the owner, or the organisation in which ownership is vested.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on a short-term air passenger duty holiday to incentivise new long haul air routes.

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 5 November 2013, Official Report, column 103. The Treasury keeps all taxes under review.

Alcoholic Drinks

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of Ernst & Young's report entitled Economic Impact Assessment into the Wine and Spirit industry in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association's Budget 2014 submission; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: The Government carefully considers all the representations it receives ahead of Budget.

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of units of alcohol sold in the UK in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicky Morgan: Duty on alcohol becomes due when the alcohol leaves a duty suspension regime to go for consumption to the UK market. As a result, HMRC only hold data on the amount of clearances of alcohol (and related receipts).
	HMRC publishes statistics on clearances and duty received for beer and cider, wine of fresh grape, made wine, and spirits, on both a monthly and annual basis, here:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulletins

Bananas

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the Fairtrade Foundation's Make Bananas Fair campaign.

Nicky Morgan: The UK Government is a committed Fairtrade partner and is providing £18 million over six years to help Fairtrade International have a greater impact in their work and make the global Fairtrade system stronger.
	There is evidence that the grocery retail market is currently working well for UK consumers. As such, the Government does not intend to intervene to regulate what businesses may or may not charge consumers for bananas. Pricing policies such as these are commercial decisions for the trader, and are best left to the market. However, if there is evidence that anti-competitive practices are having a negative impact on the supply chain, this should be reported to the Office of Fair Trading (or the Competition and Markets Authority from 1 April) for consideration.

Career Development

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female;
	(2)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group;
	(3)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled.

Nicky Morgan: The proportion of civil servants in HM Treasury promoted in each of the last five years who were:
	male/female;
	white British/from any other ethnic minority group; and
	disabled/non-disabled
	are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Gender      
			 Female 39 48 34 51 45 
			 Male 57 52 66 49 55 
			       
			 Ethnicity      
			 BME 10 13 16 18 11 
			 White 83 82 79 74 81 
			 Not known 7 5 5 8 8 
			       
			 Disability      
			 Disabled 5 3 4 11 4 
			 Not disabled 85 86 86 83 82 
			 Undeclared 10 12 11 6 14 
			 Note: Rounding errors mean not all percentages in table add up to 100% 
		
	
	The percentages of HMT staff in diversity groupings in the years in question are:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  October 2008 April 2009 April 2010 October 2011 October 2012 
			 SCS female 38.7 39.6 38.3 43.6 43.2 
			 SCS BME 3.8 3.6 4.7 5.3 9.1 
			 SCS Disabled 3.8 3.6 2.3 3.2 3.4 
			       
			 Below SCS female 45.3 46.2 46 47.2 47.3 
			 Below SCS BME 15.6 16.7 .17.5 16.6 18.7 
			 Below SCS disabled 4.7 4.8 5.5 5.3 6

Corporation Tax

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much corporation tax was paid by (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) large companies in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs releases National Statistics on an annual basis, providing information on corporation tax receipts and liabilities.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/ct-receipts/corporation-tax-statistics.pdf
	Since 2010 the Government has cut the main rate of corporation tax from 28% to 23%. It will fall further to 21% in April 2014 and to 20% in April 2015. The Small Profits Rate was cut to 20% in April 2011. These corporation tax cuts will be worth around £7.8 billion per year to businesses by 2016-17.
	Figures on the amount of tax paid, broken down by company size, are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In line with the latest published Corporation Tax liability figures, released in October 2013, the following table shows a break down of the total Corporation Tax liability by the rates at which Corporation Tax is charged on companies' chargeable profits, for the past five years for which figures are available.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			 Financial year of accounting period end date Small Profits Rate Marginal Small Profits Rate Main Rate Total CT Liability 
			 2007-08 8.6 3.6 32.9 45.1 
			 2008-09 7.9 3.3 31.3 42.4 
			 2009-10 7.7 3.0 27.4 38.1 
			 2010-11 8.4 3.4 31.5 43.2 
			 2011-12 9.0 3.6 31.2 43.8

Credit: Databases

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Bank of England on the creation of a national consumer credit lending database;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the creation of a national consumer credit lending database;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of a national consumer credit lending database.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England to discuss relevant regulatory issues.
	The Bank of England confirmed in its Financial Stability Report, published 28 November 2013, that it has been considering the merits of developing a national database of credit information and that the Financial Policy Committee would review the benefits of such an action.
	The Government believes credit data is important in enabling lenders to assess whether an individual has the ability to repay any credit that is offered, and allowing borrowers to access the credit that they need.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax is levied on a (a) 330ml bottle of beer with an alcohol by volume of four per cent, (b) 750ml bottle of wine with an alcohol by volume of 11 per cent and (c) 700ml bottle of Scotch whisky with an alcohol by volume of 40 per cent.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax is levied on a (a) 330ml bottle of beer with an alcohol by volume of four per cent, (b) 750ml bottle of wine with an alcohol by volume of 11 per cent and (c) 700ml bottle of Scotch whisky with an alcohol by volume of 40 per cent.

Nicky Morgan: The duty levied on a 330ml bottle of beer with an alcohol by volume of 4% is 26p for 2013-14.
	Information relating to the tax levied on wine and Scotch Whisky is available from HMRC's Alcohol Factsheet October 2013. Link:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what average (a) amount and (b) percentage alcohol excise duty has changed per wine bottle (i )between 1997 and 2010 and (ii) 2010 to date.

Nicky Morgan: Current and historic Wine of Fresh Grape and Made Wine duty rates for each strength-related band are available in table 12 of HMRC's monthly Alcohol Bulletin, which is published here:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
	The average wine bottle falls into the tax category for still wine of alcoholic strength 5.5% to 15%.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effect of removing the Alcohol Duty Escalator on levels of alcohol fraud in 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: No assessment has been made of the effect of removing the Alcohol Duty Escalator on the levels of alcohol fraud. HMRC publishes estimates annually of alcohol fraud in ''Measuring Tax Gaps".

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of changes in employment levels in 2014 if the Alcohol Duty Escalator were removed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the total economic contribution of the wine and spirit industries to the UK economies is;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the total annual economic contribution of the (a) domestic UK wine growing industry, (b) the Scotch whisky industry and (c) the gin distilling industry.

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which would be created in 2014 if he removed the Alcohol Duty Escalator in that year rather than in 2015; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the total annual economic contribution of the wine and spirit industries to the UK economy is.

Nicky Morgan: The Government is aware that the Wine and Spirits Trade Association commissioned Ernst and Young to undertake an economic analysis of the wine and spirits industry in the UK. Ernst and Young's report includes their estimates of the impact the wine and spirits industry has on the UK economy as well as their assessment of changes to the pre-announced alcohol duty increases.
	The Government keep all taxes under review.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of removing the Alcohol Duty Escalator on levels of alcohol fraud in 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: No assessment has been made of the effect of removing the Alcohol Duty Escalator on the levels of alcohol fraud. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates annually of alcohol fraud in “Measuring Tax Gaps”.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to maintain the current fuel differential between road fuel gases and petrol and diesel for a rolling 10 year period.

Nicky Morgan: The autumn statement announced that the fuel duty differential between the main rate of fuel duty and the rate for road fuel gases such as compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas and biomethane will be maintained at current levels until March 2024. The Government will review the impact of these incentives on vehicle up take and the public finances at Budget 2018.

Financial Services

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the new prudential requirements for commercial debt managers in the last six months.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues.
	The Financial Conduct Authority is an independent non-governmental body, with statutory powers to make rules, publish guidance and authorise firms.
	In the FCA's new rules for regulating the consumer credit market, it has confirmed that prudential requirements will apply to debt management firms and large not-for-profit debt advice bodies, reflecting the size of their ‘debts under management’. They will also be subject to client money requirements, if holding clients' money, with additional requirements for larger firms.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland have been fined as a result of fuel fraud offences in each of the last 10 years.

Nicky Morgan: Figures are only available for the years 2011-12 and onwards. The number of people fined as a result of fuel fraud offences in each year since then is as follows:
	
		
			  Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) Northern Ireland 
			 2011-12 0 2 
			 2012-13 0 3 
			 2013-14 (to December 2013) 0 4 
		
	
	These data relate to the total number of oils related offences recorded by HMRC Criminal Investigation, they are not subdivided into specific regimes.
	HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC has also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.
	HMRC uses several avenues to tackle fraud: criminal prosecution, civil action (such as seizing fuel or pumps) civil penalties and strong regulatory controls.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount of fines issued in the UK is as a result of fuel fraud offences in each of the last 10 years.

Nicky Morgan: Figures are only available for the years 2011-12 and onwards. The total amount of fines issued since then is as follows:
	
		
			  Total amount of fines issued in the UK (£) 
			 2011-12 1,200 
			 2012-13 4,000 
			 2013-14 to December 2013 6,500 
		
	
	These data relate to the total number of oils related offences recorded by Criminal Investigation, they are not subdivided into specific regimes.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC has also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.
	HMRC uses several avenues to tackle fraud: criminal prosecution, civil action (such as seizing fuel or pumps) civil penalties and strong regulatory controls.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many confiscation orders have been issued by HM Revenue and Customs for fuel laundering in each of the last 10 years.

Nicky Morgan: Figures are only available for years 2010-11 and onwards. The number of confiscation orders issued in those years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of confiscation orders 
			 2010-11 1 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 to December 2013 1 
		
	
	These will only be applied for in respect of the most serious cases, as the court will always consider whether the level of criminality warrants such an approach. HMRC can, and has, adopted other less costly methods in respect of recovering arrears namely using civil procedures.
	These data relate to the total number of oils related offences recorded by HMRC Criminal Investigation, they are not subdivided into specific regimes.
	HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC has also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, Which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.
	HMRC uses several avenues to tackle fraud: criminal prosecution, civil action (such as seizing fuel or pumps) civil penalties and strong regulatory controls.

Public Sector: Redundancy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received regarding concerns that black, Asian and minority ethnic women are disproportionately likely to be affected by public-sector job losses.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials receive a wide variety of representations from both the organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes made to the stamp duty land tax regime since 1997 on the functioning of the housing market;
	(2)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of stamp duty land tax rates on house-buying in England.

David Gauke: Many factors affect transactions volumes and prices in the housing market. The Treasury has not made a recent assessment of the effect of stamp duty land tax on the functioning of the housing market or house-buying in England.

Tax Allowances: Offshore Industry

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawal of drilling rig tax concessions on investment and activity in the oil and gas sector on the UK Continental Shelf.

Nicky Morgan: At autumn statement 2013 the Government made an assessment of the impact of the oil and gas chartering measure, which was certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This can be found on page 79 of the autumn statement document:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263942/35062_Autumn_Statement_2013.pdf
	The assumptions and methodology underlying this assessment can be found on page 26 of the policy costings document:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263434/autumn_statement_2013_policy_costings.pdf
	Since autumn statement, the Government has consulted with industry on the specifics of the proposal and on its assessment of the impacts, and is currently reviewing the responses received.

Taxation: Consumer Goods

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which consumer goods sold in the UK have the highest level of tax per item; and how much the tax is per item.

Nicky Morgan: Excluding customs duties, the most heavily taxed consumer good sold in the UK as a proportion of price is tobacco. Information on tobacco duty is available in HMRC's Tobacco Factsheet at the following link:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
	Customs duties could be included only at a disproportionate cost.

Working Tax Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have had working tax credits stopped in each of the last 10 years in each constituency.

Nicky Morgan: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that the UK's carbon reduction targets are met in the event of Scotland's withdrawal from the UK.

Gregory Barker: The UK was the first country to set legally-binding limits on domestic carbon emissions, and through the Climate Change Act 2008, committed to reduce emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. This target was chosen to reflect the views of the Committee on Climate Change on a fair UK share of a global effort to tackle climate change, and Government remains committed to this principle.
	Latest projections show that our comprehensive policy portfolio puts the UK on track to meet its carbon budget targets to 2022. As well as cutting carbon, these policies are supporting jobs and creating new investment across the UK.
	The Government is confident that the people of Scotland will choose to remain part of the UK.

Electricity Interconnectors: Iceland

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has held in the last 12 months with Landsvirkjun on the Icelink power cable proposals.

Michael Fallon: DECC officials have had updates on the Icelink proposals from Landsvirkjun. I have had no discussions with Landsvirkjun in the last 12 months but I met the Icelandic Energy Minister to discuss Icelink on 10 March.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on steps to take against energy companies that do not comply with the (a) carbon emissions reduction target and (b) community energy saving programme.

Gregory Barker: Ministers and officials regularly meet Ofgem to discuss a range of issues, however the administration and enforcement of these schemes are a matter for Ofgem rather than the Government.

Energy: Billing

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of customers in (a) Glasgow North West, (b) Glasgow City, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK who will receive the refunds of direct debits announced by his Department on 18 February 2014.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold the specific information requested.
	Under the agreement, at the 12-month anniversary, direct debit arrangement customers of British Gas, EDF Energy, EON, First Utility, nPower and SSE with a credit balance over a minimum threshold (varying up to £10) will be given an automatic full refund, unless they prefer to roll forward the amount to reduce future payments for the 12-month period.
	Overall, 55% of energy consumers pay by direct debit arrangements.

Energy: Prices

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the effect of Scottish independence on energy prices in the UK.

Michael Fallon: Ahead of the Scottish independence referendum, to inform the debate about Scotland's constitutional future, the UK Government is undertaking a programme of analysis of Scotland's place in the UK and how it contributes to and benefits from being part of the UK. DECC will set out a full analysis of the implications of independence for the energy sector shortly.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Banbury of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 389, on energy efficiency, what recent steps he has taken to improve the experience of the green deal for (a) consumers and (b) the supply chain.

Gregory Barker: We are supporting energy efficiency improvements to buildings through an extension of the current cashback scheme to June; a £450 million package of energy efficiency incentives over three years; increasing the funds available to local authorities this year to £80 million to promote Green Deal on a street by street basis through Green Deal Communities; and consulting on the future of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) with certainty provided to 2017.
	We have also been improving the Green Deal, both for consumers and the supply chain, through a number of changes and enhancements. For the customer, these include:
	working with the Green Deal Finance Company to enable customers to get Green Deal Finance in a Day, if that is right for them; and
	improving the content and search tools through which customers can find Green Deal companies on Gov.uk;
	improving the signposting services to companies and information on offers provided by the Energy Saving Advice Service;
	working with the Green Deal Finance Company to develop standard documentation explaining, in simple terms, the purpose and content of different credit and installation agreements involved in Green Deal Finance, which can be used by Green Deal providers.
	For the supply chain, the recent steps we have taken include:
	amending the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to give Green Deal Providers more confidence to operate in the rented sector;
	setting up a dedicated advice service to help Green Deal Providers become active in the market; and
	working with the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body and the Green Deal Finance Company to speed up authorisation processes.

Offshore Industry

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure the UK based supply chain to the oil and gas sector is supported in the future development of the UK Continental Shelf.

Michael Fallon: The Department works closely with operators and supply companies in the UKCS to ensure full understanding of the capability and capacity of the UK supply chain. This work is being further reinforced by an extensive Supply Chain Mapping report which is being carried out as a key action from the Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy which we published last year.
	In addition, we provide key industry intelligence through the Project Pathfinder database allowing the UK supply chain the opportunity to bid for new projects. Pathfinder is currently showcasing around 60 UKCS projects and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-project-pathfinder

Offshore Industry

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether membership of the new regulator scheme covering the UK Continental Shelf recommended by the Wood Review will be a compulsory requirement for operators in the North Sea oil and gas fields.

Michael Fallon: The Wood Review recommended that stewardship of the UKCS should be conducted by a new arm’s length body, funded by industry and better resourced. Subject to further detailed work to support the business case, the Government will proceed with moving the stewardship of the UKCS into the next phase, with a new arms-length body, funded by industry, with new resources and any necessary statutory powers to meet that challenge. We will publish a formal response to the report, including further details on implementation plans, later in the spring.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Fairtrade Initiative

Sarah Newton: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what recent assessment the Commission has made of the use of Fair Trade produce by the catering services of the House;
	(2)  what steps the Commission is taking to promote Fair Trade produce in Parliament.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Catering Service recognises its responsibility to carry out its procurement activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and has been developing a sustainable procurement policy for a number of years. Fairtrade options are regularly assessed.
	House of Commons catering outlets stock several high-profile Fairtrade products including; coffee, sugar sticks, confectionery, chocolate, cookies and muffins. A number of other products which are not Fairtrade have received accreditation from other ethical schemes, for example; all tea products that are not Fairtrade are accredited by the Ethical Tea Partnership; our water supplier gives all profits to the charity WaterAid, and some of our snack foods are Rainforest Alliance accredited.
	As part of Fairtrade Fortnight, which ran from 24 February to 7 March 2014, all Fairtrade products were actively advertised in the cafeterias.

Parliamentary Tours

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, who authorised the restrictions on Members' Tours to Mondays during short recesses and to after 3.30pm on non-sitting Fridays.

John Thurso: Following the Administration Committee's report ‘Visitor Access and Facilities’ (HC 13, 2012-13) the House of Commons Commission agreed to a package of income generation activities in July 2012. This was the subject of a debate in the House on 8 November 2012.
	In line with these decisions Visitor Services managers have been working to expand the number and range of commercial tours that are available. The new visiting model extends paid tours from the summer recess and Saturdays, to include part of the short recesses and non-sitting Fridays. During short recesses, Members' tours are available on Mondays, and there is also provision for 180 Members' visitors per day, escorted by a passholder, to be accommodated on the other recess days. By increasing the size of tours groups from 20 to 25 during sitting times and maximising capacity on Member tour days during short recesses, the overall capacity for Members' visitors has been maintained across the year.
	Following feedback from Members, the Administration Committee will review the arrangements on 17 March to assess whether the right balance has been struck between Member-sponsored and commercial tours.

Parliamentary Tours

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how many Members' Tours will no longer be able to take place between 1 February 2014 and the summer recess as a result of the new restrictions during short recesses and non-sitting Fridays.

John Thurso: Between February and August 2013 73,560 people participated in Member-sponsored tours. Between February and August 2014 there will be capacity for 77,500 visitors. However, plans for 2014 have less capacity on recess days than in previous years, but more capacity on sitting days. The new visits model was designed to maintain the overall capacity for Members' visitors across the year. Historically, Members' tours have only been booked to an average of 50% of their capacity during short recesses. Reserving Mondays for Member-sponsored tours during short recesses matches the practice during the summer recess, makes better use of available capacity, maintains overall capacity for Members' visitors, and ensures that constituents still have the opportunity to visit Parliament throughout the year.
	Following feedback from Members, the Administration Committee will review the arrangements on 17 March to assess whether the right balance between Member-sponsored and commercial tours has been struck.

Parliamentary Tours

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 394W, on parliamentary tours, 
	(1)  of those in-house guides that are not substantive employees, how many are classified as (a) contractors and (b) employees of the House;
	(2)  how many in-house guides are (a) substantive employees of the House, (b) former employees of the House and (c) employed as only in-house guides.

John Thurso: As at 31 December 2013, 53 of the in-house tour guides were substantive employees of the House and 55 were engaged only as in-house guides. Of the 55 that were not substantive employees, 27 had worked in other substantive roles on the Parliamentary Estate, including 17 who are known to have been former employees of the House of Commons. None of the 55 tour guides who were not substantive employees were contractors: all of them were casual workers paid through the House of Commons payroll. May I take this opportunity of correcting my answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 394W. As the information above shows, it would have been more accurate to refer to:
	“staff employed or previously employed on the Parliamentary Estate”
	rather than
	“retired House staff”.
	I have written to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (John Cryer), to inform him.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Advisory Services

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on devolution of locally based UK Trade & Investment, Manufacturing Advisory Service and Growth Accelerator Initiative contracts to (a) combined authorities and (b) local enterprise partnerships.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) operates an integrated international trade support model which ensures companies have an integrated experience whether dealing with UKTI's advisers throughout the country or in embassies and consulates overseas.
	Devolution of trade support to combined authorities or Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) would risk confusing the customer journey and undermining this integrated offer to business. However, UKTI works very closely with LEPs and local authorities and is currently working with LEPs, including the North East LEP, to develop additional trade support activity in support of their European Structural and Investment Funds Strategies.
	GrowthAccelerator and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) are nationally contracted with support delivered locally in all areas of England. GrowthAccelerator and MAS work with local partners including local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to tailor delivery to meet local needs.

Coal Gasification: Chemicals

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential for synergy between coal gasification projects and the UK chemical sector.

Michael Fallon: This Department is aware of the importance and of the opportunity from exploiting a range of unconventional gas and oil resources, both onshore and offshore. I co-chair the Chemistry Growth Partnership (CGP)—the sector council for the chemical industries which is working to support plans for sustainable, reliable and affordable energy. Through its innovation work stream, the CGP is coordinating a range of activities designed to enable second generation industrial biology applications.
	Coal gasification is attractive both as an energy resource and as a source of carbon feedstock for the chemical sector. Work is now underway to engage through Local Enterprise Partnerships to establish links between related projects in different localities and to exploit these synergies between industries.

Foreign Investment in UK: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total amount of inward investment in the North East has been since May 2010; and how much such investment is accounted for by the sale of Northern Rock.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) currently reports inward investment success in terms of number of projects which have landed. The number of projects landed in the North East is as follows:
	1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 54 projects
	1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 66 projects
	1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 44 projects
	UKTI does not recognise a link between foreign direct investment success and the sale of Northern Rock.

ICT: Employment

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many jobs were created in the UK online and digital industries in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

David Willetts: There is no agreed definition of “online and digital industries”. Following the Government's Information Economy Strategy, the IT services, software, and telecommunication services sub-sectors were combined to define the Information Economy sector. The numbers of jobs created is not recorded, though the ONS does collate the overall number of jobs allowing the net change to be calculated.
	
		
			 Number of jobs in the IT services, software and telecommunications service industries 
			  Number of jobs (Thousand) Net Change on previous year jobs (Thousand) 
			 2010-11 859 1 
			 2011-12 879 20 
			 2012-13 874 -6 
			 Source: ONS Employee jobs and Self-employed jobs

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to begin naming employers who do not comply with the National Minimum Wage under the revised scheme adopted on 1 October 2013; whether all employers investigated by HM Revenue and Customs where a Notice of Underpayment is then issued will be named; where that information will be published; and whether his Department will take steps to inform the media of the publication of that information.

Jennifer Willott: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
	‘The revised naming scheme will automatically consider all employers for naming that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) by HMRC. Employers have 28-days to appeal against the NoU and make representations to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and if these are unsuccessful the employer will be named, except in very exceptional circumstances.
	On 28 February 2014 the Government named its first five employers. Between them they owe workers a total of over £6,800 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling £3381.40.
	The five employers are:
	Peter Oakes of Peter Oakes Ltd, Macclesfield, neglected to pay £3619.70 to two workers.
	Lisa Maria Cathcart of Salon Sienna, Manchester, neglected to pay £1760.48 to a worker.
	Mohammed Yamin of Minto Guest House, Edinburgh, neglected to pay £808.56 to a worker.
	Anne Henderson of Chambers Hairdressers, Middlesbrough neglected to pay £452.22 to a worker.
	Ruzi Ruzyyev a car wash operator in Carmarthen neglected to pay £225.38 to a worker.
	Under the revised scheme, employers who fail to pay the national minimum wage will be named publicly by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. A press release issued for the most recent cases can be found on gov.uk at:
	www.gov.uk/government/news/government-gets-tough-with-employers-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage

Official Receiver

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints about official receiver fees were received in each year between 2010 and 2014.

Jennifer Willott: The Insolvency Service does not hold records that categorise complaints for 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12. Complaints have been categorised since 2012/13. In 2012/13 there were three complaints about fees charged in official receiver cases. In 2013/14 (to end of February 2014) six such complaints were received.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of bilateral trade between the UK and Israel was in 2013.

Michael Fallon: Data on the total value of UK trade in goods and services with Israel will be published for 2013 by the Office for National Statistics in October 2014.
	For goods alone, the value of exports was £1.4 billion in 2013, and the value of imports was £1.9 billion.

Post Office and Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he last met the Chief Executive of (a) Post Office Ltd and (b) Royal Mail Group.

Jennifer Willott: Ministers hold regular meetings with senior representatives from Post Office Ltd to discuss a wide range of matters. In addition, officials from the Department's Shareholder Executive team maintain an ongoing dialogue with the company.
	Details of all external meetings undertaken by Ministers at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills are published on a quarterly basis on the GOV.UK website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I last met the Chairman and Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd on 5 March 2014.
	With regard to Royal Mail, the Minister of State for Business and Energy, the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), last met Moya Greene on 15 October 2013 and the Secretary of State last met her on 25 February 2013.
	Since the Royal Mail initial public offering in October last year, the Government's relationship with Royal Mail is that of a minority shareholder. As set out in the Prospectus, the Government will manage its shareholding in a commercial manner. The Shareholder Executive represents Government with respect to its residual shareholding on a day to day basis; in this capacity, Shareholder Executive personnel will meet senior Royal Mail representatives, as do other shareholders, on a regular basis.

Post Office Card Account

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post office accounts have been opened as part of the Post Office Ltd pilot in East Anglia and the East Midlands.

Jennifer Willott: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, Chief Executive Officer of Post Office Ltd, to reply to the hon. Member directly, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office Card Account

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with Post Office Ltd on the Post Office Card Account.

Jennifer Willott: The Post Office Ltd has a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to provide the Post Office Card Account (POCA). This is regularly used by some three million people to access their pensions or benefits and is available across the Post Office network.
	The current arrangements for collecting pensions and benefits at post offices will remain in place until at least 2015. Any decision about the future of POCA arrangements and related commercial negotiations are a matter for DWP.
	However I can confirm that DWP and the Post Office are in discussions about a long term successor to the Post Office Card Account and that all options under consideration conclude that access to pensions and benefits will continue, beyond March 2015, across the whole post office network of at least 11,500 branches.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and which post offices were subject to temporary closure in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what the length of the temporary closure was in each such case.

Jennifer Willott: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd, I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, Chief Executive Officer of Post Office Ltd, to reply to the hon. Member directly, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House. However, I would note that the Government has committed nearly £2 billion to Post Office Ltd since 2010, enabling it to maintain, modernise and protect a network of at least 11,500 branches that is compliant with the strict Government-set access criteria. It is important to stress that under this Government the network as a whole is at its most stable for two decades.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the total value of Government business given to Post Office Ltd was in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13;
	(2)  how much was received from Royal Mail by Post Office Ltd are in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Jennifer Willott: The information requested relates to commercial contracts between Post Office Ltd and its clients, which include Royal Mail and Government Departments and agencies. These are operational matters for Post Office Ltd and I have therefore asked Paula Vennelis, Chief Executive Officer of Post Office Ltd, to reply to the hon. Member directly, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Video Games: EU Action

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps her Department is taking to encourage the European Commission to bring forward a directive which would implement across the EU the Office of Fair Trading's guidance on micro-transaction gaming.

Jennifer Willott: We welcome the Office of Fair Trading's guidance on micro-transaction gaming. Their principles for online and app-based games are based on existing European legislation under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive. We support moves to implement similar guidance across Europe to improve transparency for consumers, and create a consistent approach to enforcement in the area of micro-transaction gaming. We also welcome the recent meetings facilitated by the European Commission, with industry and European enforcement authorities, to discuss the issues around in-app purchases and to find solutions which ensure better protection for consumers, particularly children.

Video Games: Regulation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on steps to take to reduce the regulatory burden on video games producers.

Michael Fallon: It is important for any business sector that regulatory burdens are minimised, targeted and proportionate. the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller) and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), are co-chairs of the Creative Industries Council which meets every six months and provides a forum for Government and industry to consider the regulatory burdens on creative businesses and in particular how our video games industry can continue to grow and compete in the world market.
	Better regulation is an important driver of growth, and the Government's strategy is to consider regulation as a last resort rather than the first option. Our programme of reform aims to reduce the quantity of regulation and the burden it places on businesses.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Uganda

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department will review all its development programmes in Uganda to ensure that no UK aid is being provided in a way that gives support to the promotion of homophobia and repression.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK ended Budget Support to the Ugandan Government following concerns about corruption last year. Our development programme continues to support poverty reduction and growth in Uganda. We have consistently raised concerns about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with the Ugandan Government at the most senior levels. The Minister for Africa most recently raised the issue with the Ugandan Foreign Minister in January 2014, and with the Deputy Foreign Minister in February 2014. We will continue to press the Ugandan Government at the highest levels to defend human rights for all.

Uganda

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to support health programmes in Uganda which may become illegal or put vulnerable groups at risk following the passage of anti-homosexuality legislation in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: DfID is providing £16.3 million over four years to support an improved HIV prevention response in Uganda, which will include provision for specifically targeting most at risk populations (MARPS).

HEALTH

Abortion

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which persons and organisations will (a) analyse the responses and (b) be consulted in drafting the response to his Department's consultation on required standard operating procedures for independent sector places for termination of pregnancy;
	(2)  whether the Government's proposed guidelines on compliance with the Abortion Act 1967 will contain punitive provisions for breaches of government regulations and advice concerning abortion provision.

Jane Ellison: Responses to the consultation on the required standard operating procedures (RSOPs) for providers of independent sector abortion to be approved by the Secretary of State for Health are being analysed by officials in the Department and we hope to publish a response shortly.
	Abortion is only legal if it is carried out within the terms of the Abortion Act 1967. The chief medical officer for England has written twice (on 23 February 2012 and 22 November 2013) to all practitioners reminding them of their responsibilities under the Abortion Act. We will be following this up by issuing more detailed guidance to doctors shortly. Breaches of the Act and regulations are for the police to investigate and, where appropriate, enforce.

Abortion

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neonatal deaths were recorded following a legal termination of pregnancy in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Jane Ellison: The Government do not collect this data.

Abortion

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were commissioned by the NHS for delivery in the private sector by (a) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (b) Marie Stopes International and (c) any other independent provider in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Jane Ellison: Information held by the Department is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Abortions performed in the independent sector under national health service contact, residents of England and Wales, 2008-12 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 British Pregnancy Advisory Service 46,310 45,036 50,145 51,773 54,478 
			 Marie Stopes clinics 44,689 48,722 48,337 49,296 50,980 
			 Other independent clinics 12,906 12,403 13,293 15,513 9,541

Abortion

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ground E abortions were performed after diagnosis by (a) amniocentesis, (b) ultrasound, (c) chorionic villus sampling and (d) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were cited under other in each such year; and how many such diagnoses were recorded in each such year.

Jane Ellison: The information held by the Department is in the following table.
	Ground E covers a range of conditions, and one or more of the diagnostic methods specified in the question are likely to have been used in all pregnancies involving these conditions over the time period regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy.
	
		
			 Abortions performed under ground E, by method of diagnosis of the foetus, England and Wales, 2003-12 
			 Ground E by method of diagnosis 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 
			 Amniocentesis alone 266 252 180 195 211 214 206 240 208 208 
			 Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling 16 5 12 11 21 13 19 11 8 12 
			 Amniocentesis and ultrasound 183 174 145 136 177 155 176 160 151 139 
			 Amniocentesis, ultrasound and chorionic villus sampling 10 9 14 18 18 9 10 10 11 10 
			 Chorionic villus sampling alone 491 421 335 362 318 326 296 287 327 313 
			 Ultrasound alone 1,367 1,192 974 978 920 885 1,007 927 923 965 
			 Ultrasound and chorionic villus sampling 246 162 139 135 141 175 154 132 134 157 
			 Other 22 10 3 2 0 1 2 5 11 5 
			 No information given 91 82 488 248 182 161 166 144 121 132 
			 Total 2,692 2,307 2,290 2,085 1,988 1,939 2,036 1,916 1,894 1,941 
			 Notes: 1. Notifications recorded as ‘other’ are not coded further. 2. Notifications where no information was given were returned to practitioners for completion from 2010 onwards.

Babies

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born with addictions in each of the last 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: A newborn baby is not ‘addicted’ or ‘dependent’ but shows various signs either of ‘a drug withdrawal state’ or ‘intoxication’. Being addicted or dependent also implies a psychological dependence, which cannot be inferred in neonates. Instead we have provided a count of finished admission birth episodes where there was a primary or secondary diagnosis of neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs of addiction.
	
		
			  Finished admission episodes 
			 2012-13 1,129 
			 2011-12 1,097 
			 2010-11 1,017 
			 2009-10 1,132 
			 2008-09 1,056 
			 2007-08 1,094 
			 2006-07 1,065 
			 2005-06 1,045 
			 2004-05 1,021 
			 2003-04 1,028 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Cancer

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in reaching the European average cancer survival rate.

Jane Ellison: It is too early to be able to assess progress against the ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15, to halve the gap between the survival estimates in England and those in the best countries in Europe. However, we do know that:
	cancer survival and mortality rates continue to improve;
	we are developing proxy measures to assess progress in a more timely manner, particularly in terms of the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two;
	the national health service and Public Health Outcomes Framework indicators and the clinical commissioning group (CCG) outcomes indicator set are starting to enable us to assess progress, at national and local level; and
	the Mandate for the NHS for 2014-15 sets out an ambition for England to become one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths.
	Tackling premature deaths from cancer will contribute to this.
	A range of work at national and local level is aimed at improving cancer survival. For example, results from the first national “Be Clear on Cancer” lung cancer campaign in 2012, showed that around 700 extra patients were diagnosed with lung cancer compared to the previous year. Approximately 400 of these patients had their lung cancer diagnosed at an early stage, with around 300 more patients having surgery, giving them a better chance of survival.

Health Services: Veterans

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups provide adequate services for the specific physical and mental needs of veterans.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS Mandate requires NHS England to meet the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant. Clinical commissioning groups have the responsibility to provide adequate services to veterans and are held to account by Area Teams. General practitioners have access to specific training materials and Armed Forces Networks to enable them to deliver on these responsibilities.
	Additional funding is also provided to support mental health services for veterans and access to high quality prosthetics and their maintenance.

Hospices

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to allocate capital funding to hospices in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Norman Lamb: In 2013-14, £60 million was made available under the capital funding scheme for hospices, on a non-recurrent basis, for specific capital projects undertaken by hospices. There are currently no plans to extend this scheme to 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Mental Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason, and under what authority, NHS England requires area commissioning teams to adopt a standard national tariff deflation for mental health services where prices are determined locally.

Norman Lamb: Monitor published jointly with NHS England the 2014-15 National Tariff Payment System in December 2013, which sets out the tariff arrangements to be used by commissioners and providers for negotiations where prices are agreed locally such as for mental health services. The guidance is clear that cost uplift factors and efficiency requirements, including nominal price adjustments, set out in the 2014-15 National Tariff Payment System must be used as the basis for local negotiation. There is scope, however, for commissioners (clinical commissioning groups and NHS England's Area Teams that are responsible for commissioning specialised services) and providers to vary prices at a local level where there is a specific and legitimate reason to do so, and the National Tariff would not prohibit this.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 gives Monitor responsibility for payment systems and publishing arrangements for the national tariff. The Act states that services and prices included in the tariff must be agreed between NHS England and Monitor. This document was therefore published independently.
	This Government expects commissioners to demonstrate parity of esteem—equality for mental health—when agreeing financial settlements with mental health providers and we believe it is unacceptable to disadvantage mental health when allocating local funds.

Mental Health Services

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health staff were employed by the NHS in each NHS trust in England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The annual national health service workforce census published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows the numbers of mental health staff employed in the NHS in England as at 30 September each year. The full-time equivalent numbers employed by the NHS in each NHS trust in England from 2008 to 2012 are shown in the table which has been placed in the Library.
	The next annual NHS workforce census will be published on 25 March 2014 which will include data as at 30 September 2013.

NHS: Ancillary Staff

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many healthcare assistants there were in each NHS trust in England in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The annual national health service workforce census published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows the numbers of support staff working in the NHS in England as at 30 September each year. The numbers of unqualified support staff in each NHS trust in England from 2008 to 2012 are shown in a table which has been placed in the Library. These include those coded as health care assistants, nursing assistants/auxiliaries and nursing assistant practitioners.
	The next annual workforce census will be published on 25 March 2014 and will include data as at 30 September 2013.

NHS: Property

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was collected from renting or leasing NHS hospital facilities or floor space to third parties in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information is not collected centrally on the income received by the national health service from renting or leasing NHS hospital facilities or floor space to third parties in each of the last five years. Information is collected centrally on NHS rentals under operating and finance lease arrangements with third parties as reported in their annual financial accounts:
	
		
			 £000 
			  2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 
			 Strategic Health Authorities 9 106 99 92 1,079 
			 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) 352,540 288,349 118,362 71,808 43,857 
			 NHS Trusts 46,391 46,893 46,596 47,923 32,779 
			 NHS Foundation Trusts 39,477 36,814 30,078 22,692 16,917 
		
	
	These figures may include income received from rentals not related to facilities or floor space. The amounts shown for each sector may include income from other bodies within the departmental group, such as NHS trusts renting properties from PCTs.
	Decisions on the rental or leasing out of hospitals or other facilities are taken locally by NHS organisations consistent with their needs for accommodation.

NHS: Re-employment

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff have been made redundant and subsequently re-employed by NHS organisations on a (a) permanent and (b) fixed-term contract basis since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: By reducing managers and administrators by over 21,100, we are freeing up extra resources for patient care—£5.5 billion in this Parliament and £1.5 billion every year thereafter.
	The number of national health service staff estimated to have been made redundant since May 2010 and subsequently, up until November 2013, re-employed by an NHS organisation on (a) a permanent basis is 2,570 and (b) a fixed term contract basis is 1,380.
	These estimates are derived from unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse. Only redundancies from, and re-employment to, organisations that use ESR are included.

Nurses

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) district nurses, (b) health visitors, (c) community psychiatric nurses, (d) community matrons and (e) community learning disabilities nurses were employed by the NHS in each clinical commissioning group area in England in (i) the latest period for which figures are available and (ii) the 12 months before this; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The numbers of district nurses, health visitors, community psychiatric nurses, community matrons and community learning disabilities nurses employed by the national health service in each clinical commissioning group area in England in November 2012 and November 2013, the latest month available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services provisional monthly statistics: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in each NHS Commissioning Board area in England and each specified level and area of work as at 30 November each year 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  All qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Of which: Community Matrons Health visitors District nurses Community Psychiatric Nurses Community Learning Disabilities Nurses 
			  2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 
			 England 308,822 312,900 1,371 1,394 8,712 9,504 6,169 5,802 15,891 15,727 2,262 2,051 
			              
			 Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral 6,720 6,701 37 35 203 200 121 74 264 246 52 56 
			 Durham, Darlington and Tees 8,242 8,242 38 78 283 302 160 157 955 931 138 121 
			 Greater Manchester 19,642 19,981 82 79 692 743 746 686 731 837 111 102 
			 Lancashire 8,264 8,436 40 39 327 337 145 110 393 372 102 76 
			 Merseyside 9,970 10,245 53 54 200 207 370 404 698 711 46 40 
			 Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 15,038 15,292 72 70 439 461 289 390 595 631 132 138 
			 North Yorkshire and Humber 8,083 8,045 28 26 261 275 176 161 182 187 55 54 
			 South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw 11,216 11,261 37 36 281 296 123 114 868 846 134 105 
			 West Yorkshire 12,941 12,908 134 122 474 488 174 151 407 434 64 61 
			 Arden, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 8,323 8,362 32 31 251 285 279 268 362 351 115 86 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 16,588 16,893 83 57 389 454 321 350 669 650 88 92 
			 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 12,472 12,660 95 100 362 420 254 155 690 682 131 102 
			 East Anglia 13,371 13,666 42 54 295 340 169 118 659 575 119 96 
			 Essex 8,192 8,360 35 39 243 270 191 117 594 595 35 40 
			 Hertfordshire and the South Midlands 10,453 10,458 13 20 323 343 154 143 692 645 168 133 
		
	
	
		
			 Leicestershire and Lincolnshire 8,111 8,257 21 17 239 278 133 110 498 496 45 46 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 8,624 8,682 37 37 294 327 215 162 655 651 114 98 
			 Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire 7,411 7,684 27 31 152 157 110 82 820 869 70 78 
			 Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire 7,752 7,865 52 47 225 268 214 208 193 197 37 30 
			 Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 9,155 9,105 43 52 263 196 206 360 701 632 95 92 
			 Kent and Medway 7,855 8,084 22 15 254 299 16 33 329 314 65 63 
			 Surrey and Sussex 13,311 12,864 85 49 324 277 87 38 719 769 67 66 
			 Thames Valley 9,804 10,037 37 40 301 347 365 361 543 548 50 50 
			 Wessex 13,330 13,590 69 80 385 429 119 75 688 650 91 90 
			 London 52,573 52,909 156 149 1,250 1,292 1,032 927 1,987 1,847 136 125 
			 Special Health Authorities and other statutory bodies 1,380 2,314 0 37 1 209 0 47 0 60 0 11 
			 Notes: 1. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. 3. Monthly data: As from 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre has published provisional monthly NH5 workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (ie it does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website at: www.hscic.gov.uk Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics

Pancreatic Cancer

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government funding for research into pancreatic cancer.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has made no specific assessment of this.
	The Department is fully committed to clinical and applied research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the national health service, value for money and scientific quality.
	The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a United Kingdom-wide partnership between the Government, charity and industry which promotes co-operation in cancer research among the 22 member organisations. An analysis of spend data submitted by NCRI partners covering the period from 2002 to 2011 is available on the NCRI website at:
	www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/general/Data_package_11.xls
	This analysis includes data for all cancer research, for site-specific research and or individual sites including pancreatic cancer. Between 2002 and 2011, the proportion of site-specific funding spent on pancreatic cancer research almost doubled.
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and Units, including £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden/Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, and £6.5 million funding for the Liverpool Biomedical Research Unit in gastrointestinal disease (which has a major focus on pancreatic cancer). Some research can also be applied across different cancer sites.
	The UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio Database currently has 20 studies in pancreatic cancer that are in set-up or recruiting patients.

University College Hospital

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by NHS England on removing their ban on patients being treated by gamma knife at University College Hospital.

Jane Ellison: Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRS/SRT), which is the type of radiotherapy gamma knife provides. University College London Hospitals (UCLH) was not a designated provider of gamma knife services prior to 1 April and therefore did not have a contract with the national health service to provide this service. It is for this reason that NHS patients cannot be treated at this facility.
	NHS England is currently undertaking a demand and capacity review project for SRS/SRT for intracranial conditions. The output of this project will be to inform a national commissioning strategy to support sustainable service commissioning across the 10 Area Teams commissioning specialised services. NHS England expects the strategy to be completed by the end of the year.
	NHS England has said it would be inappropriate to consider UCLH in isolation while it is in the process of this important national review. It is essential that the services are considered as part of a coherent national strategy that will deliver a service; offering clinically safe and sustainable high quality specialist services for NHS patients on a national basis. At present there is sufficient capacity within the existing contracted providers to meet the commissioning requirements.

Vaccination: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Clause 34 of the Immigration Bill, HL Bill 84, what his policy is on exempting immunisation for children from NHS charging provisions for persons not ordinarily resident in Great Britain.

Jane Ellison: The Immigration Bill provides for temporary migrants from outside the European economic area, who will no longer be deemed to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom to pay a health charge that will then permit them to receive any required subsequent national health service treatment, including vaccinations, without further charge.
	The Government responded on 30 December 2013 to the consultation “Sustaining services, ensuring fairness: a consultation on migrant access and financial contribution to NHS provision in England” confirming that it intended to introduce charges for some primary care services for visitors and other non-residents not covered by the health surcharge.
	It committed the Department to undertake further work and engagement with experts and interest groups to evaluate the impact, particularly on public health, and develop these proposals before bringing forward any changes to NHS charging regulations in England. It also advised that further work would be undertaken to ensure that vulnerable children were not denied necessary care.

EDUCATION

Children: Internet

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to address the problem of parents or guardians showing or involving their children in online obscene materials.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	As set out in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it is illegal for any person to show or involve children in online obscene materials. The Government is committed to protecting children from this form of abuse. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command of the National Crime Agency (NCA) is central to protecting children and as part of the NCA, CEOP can access more resources to deal with complex cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and benefits from support from other NCA specialist functions such as the National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU). Every officer in the NCA, over 4000 people, has a legal duty to safeguard children and promote child welfare.
	We have made additional progress in tackling child abuse online through work we are doing with the internet industry. Internet search engines have made changes to their search mechanisms, and these new measures have been effective in making it harder to access child abuse images. Britain and the US have also created a new taskforce to work with industry to counter online child sexual exploitation.

Early Intervention Grant

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the Early Intervention Grant on local councils; and if he will provide a copy of the document;
	(2)  what risk assessment was carried out in respect of reducing the Early Intervention Grant to councils; and if he will publish that assessment.

Elizabeth Truss: There is no single document of the type requested.
	The Early Intervention Grant, which is now part of the Business Rates Retention (BRR) system of local government finance, is non-ringfenced and unhypothicated. By making this change, from previous funding regimes for early intervention, local authorities have been given the freedom to make decisions on how best to target resources on supporting early intervention and other valuable services to meet the needs of their communities.
	The BRR forms part of the overall funding available for early intervention, which will increase from £2,365 billion in 2012-13 to £2,510 billion in 2014-15, including funding for two-year-old education and the Early Intervention Grant topslice.

Faith Schools

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to stop faith schools redacting questions from national exam papers.

Elizabeth Truss: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and I have asked its Chief Executive, Glenys Stacey to write directly to my hon. Friend. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House Library.

Faith Schools

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to renew Government funding for security at Jewish faith schools after 2015; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: We will carefully review this issue in the spring.

Pre-school Education

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what further steps he plans to ensure that parents of summer-born children can start their child aged five in a reception class.

David Laws: The parents of a summer born child can request that the child is admitted to a reception class in the September following their fifth birthday—the point at which their peers are moving up to year 1. It is for the admission authority to consider the individual circumstances of the case before arriving at a decision.
	I believe those decisions are best taken at a local level, where the admission authority in conjunction with the school head, are better placed to decide the most appropriate year group for each child. There are no current plans to ensure that parents of summer born children can always start their child aged five in a reception class—for some children this may not be appropriate or in the best interests of the child.
	However, we are taking steps to ensure that admission authorities comply with the duty imposed on them by the School Admissions Code to make decisions on the basis of the circumstances of each case. We published advice on the admission of summer born children in July 2013. We are now monitoring the impact of this advice and have committed to review it one year after its publication.
	We have asked the Schools Adjudicator to request information from local authorities in their annual reports on admissions about the number of requests from parents for summer born children to be admitted to reception age five. These reports must be submitted to the Chief Adjudicator by 30 June 2014.
	Officials are also investigating cases referred to them, including those referred by the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Annette Brooke, to ensure admission authorities are complying with the provisions in the Code.

Schools: Construction

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 223W, on schools: construction, how many bids his Department has received for financing to date.

David Laws: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) is procuring a financing vehicle, which will fund each of the five privately-financed batches of Priority Schools Building Programme schools. 12 Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ) were submitted by entities or consortia wishing to be selected to fulfil this role. The EFA then shortlisted six of those PQQ respondents to submit outline proposals and later three bidders who will submit final and detailed proposals. The procurement continues at present with the three remaining bidders, and final bids are due to be received by the EFA in April 2014.

Schools: Construction

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 223W, on schools: construction, which schools (a) are expected to open in February 2014 and (b) are not planned to open before 2015.

David Laws: We are currently working with 221 schools in the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). Before building work can begin, plans must be drawn up, contracts negotiated and planning permission secured.
	Construction work has already started at 23 schools (19 under main works contracts and four under early works agreements).
	Under Building Schools for the Future (BSF), it took three years from first planning for building works to begin. We have cut this to one year under the PSBP. Had we continued with BSF time scales, no PSBP schools would yet have started construction. The first school will open in May 2014.
	The Department does not hold firm predictions for when every project will start or finish construction as time scales can shift in either direction. However, the overall programme is progressing more swiftly then initially predicated and it is now expected to be complete by 2017—two years earlier than first planned.
	The full list of schools in the programme can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/priority-school-building-programme/a00221997/successfulapplicationspsbp

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what effect the new national funding formula for schools in 2015-16 will have on funding for special education needs.

David Laws: Following the Chancellor's announcement in June that we would consult on how best to introduce a national funding formula for schools, we will shortly announce next steps, including any effect of our reforms on funding for special education needs.

Teachers: Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on the relationship between student performance and use of performance-based pay schemes, published in May 2012.

David Laws: The reforms we have made to the national framework for the pay and conditions of teachers were recommended by the independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB). The STRB took into account evidence from a wide-range of sources when considering its recommendations, including the OECD report from May 2012. We accepted the STRB's recommendations in full.
	By reforming the rigid national framework we have put school leaders in charge of determining how best to reward teachers. This will put an end to the situation whereby head teachers had no choice but to award annual pay increases regardless of an individual's performance, and were prevented from paying a highly effective new entrant more than their long-serving but less effective peer.

Teachers: Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the amount of time it will take school governors to make decisions on performance-related pay.

David Laws: Governors are already expected to hold school leadership to account for school performance, which includes assessing overall teacher performance and to play a key role in ensuring schools have a strong strategic vision and are observing good financial practises to make the best use of public funds.
	Governing bodies will have already approved revised pay policies which set out precisely how schools will make performance and pay decisions. We believe that most governing bodies will require minimal additional time to carry out their responsibilities effectively in relation to pay decisions.

Teachers: Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the total cost to the public purse of teachers' salaries of introducing performance-related pay.

David Laws: Our objective is to ensure that schools and school leaders can use the funds they have to reward excellent performance rather than continue to be locked into statutory arrangements for automatic pay progression that mandate year on year pay bill pressures that are beyond their control. The new arrangements provide schools with more autonomy over the management of their budgets, so that they are free to make choices between their relative priorities.
	Giving head teachers more flexibility over pay enables them to manage their budgets and meet their school's unique set of needs more effectively. We trust head teachers to make decisions on pay that are appropriate within their overall budgets.

Teachers: Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likelihood of teachers who are subject to performance-related pay seeking posts in schools with poorer Ofsted results because of concerns about the effects on their salary of such a policy.

David Laws: There is no reason why the new arrangements for pay should prevent a teacher from taking a post in a school with poorer Ofsted results. It will be up to schools to decide how they link pay progression to appraisal and the criteria that they will employ.
	Our expectation is that schools will establish a range of performance variables to judge the performance of teachers both as individuals and as part of a team. Appropriate factors could include, for example, the quality of their teaching, their collaboration with and support for other teachers, and their wider contribution to the success of the school.

CABINET OFFICE

Services: Online Charges

Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to tackle websites which charge for free Government services.

Nick Hurd: We take the issue of misleading websites very seriously. Most people encounter them though advertisements on search result pages, so we are working with Google to help them identify and remove those adverts. We have also made more money available to support the National Trading Standards Board to investigate this issue.

Civil Contingencies

Robert Flello: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of civil contingencies processes in his Department.

Oliver Letwin: The Cabinet Office works with other Government Departments, devolved Administrations, emergency responders and other organisations to enhance the UK's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. The effectiveness of these arrangements is reviewed regularly to ensure lessons arising from emergencies are identified and actioned.

Social Enterprise

Jesse Norman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on supporting social enterprises in providing public services.

Nick Hurd: We are opening up new opportunities whether it be the Transforming Rehabilitation programme or NCS.
	We are making it easier to access finance through social investment, and we are providing practical support, such as through the Mutuals Support Programme.
	We are delighted that public sector mutuals are now delivering over £1 billion in contract value.

Statistics

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the proper use of national statistics.

Nick Hurd: Responsibility for monitoring the quality of official statistics lies with the independent UK Statistics Authority.
	Cabinet Office Ministers have parliamentary responsibility for the authority and have met with the Chair and the National Statistician to discuss statistical matters.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment Schemes

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Terrence Higgins Trust report on HIV and poverty, published in February 2014, if his Department will work with employers and charities to reintroduce unemployed people to work over a longer time frame with staggered changes to their unemployment benefits.

Esther McVey: Under the current jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) system claimants with a health condition have flexibility to restrict the work they have to be available for. They may restrict their availability in any way, provided the restrictions are reasonable in the light of their condition. A claimant may also restrict their travel time if they have a health condition which affects their ability to travel.
	Universal credit is even more flexible than the current regime. Work coaches will work with claimants with HIV to set personalised requirements which focus on what they can do within realistic timeframes, taking into account their health condition. They can also limit or suspend work related requirements in response to fluctuations in a claimant's medical condition.
	Furthermore, universal credit is an in and out-of-work benefit. It will not automatically stop when people move in or out of work so it will make it easier for those with fluctuating health conditions to work and to increase or reduce their working hours in response to their medical condition.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in discretionary housing payments has been allocated in (a) England and (b) Portsmouth to those affected by the under occupancy penalty in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Esther McVey: The information is as follows:
	(a) Please find following, a table detailing the allocations for England. The figures for 2015-16 will be decided in due course.
	
		
			 Relevant year Total DHP allocation for RSRS in England (£) 
			 2013-14 25,950,209 
			 2014-15 46,053,525 
			 2015-16 TBD 
		
	
	(b) Please find following, a table detailing DHP allocations for Portsmouth in relation to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, including the total allocations for the respective years. The figures for 2015-16 will be decided in due course.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Relevant year DHP allocation for RSRS—Portsmouth Total DHP allocation for Portsmouth 
			 2013-14 88,499 472,895 
			 2014-15 189,725 546,807 
			 2015-16 TBD TBD 
		
	
	In 2013-14 the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments was increased to £180 million in Great Britain (GB). While local authorities are able to use all of the funding as they decide in line with local priorities, £55 million was specifically allocated on the basis of the estimated impacts of the removal of the spare room subsidy. This includes £20 million that local authorities were able to bid for should they need more funding. A bid was not received from Portsmouth for additional funding.
	In 2014-15 the Government will continue to support those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy. Out of a total Government contribution for discretionary housing payments of £165 million in GB, £60 million has been specifically allocated on the basis of the impacts of the policy.

Jobcentre Plus

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost is of (a) sorting Jobcentre post in Wolverhampton and (b) sending it on and opening it in Telford and Kidderminster; and if he will take steps to introduce a more cost-effective process of sorting the Jobcentre post.

Michael Penning: As part of the Government Digitalisation programme, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has recently transformed its mail opening and scanning service and has consolidated DWP's inward-bound mail delivery network from 29 mail opening units (MOUs) into two new purpose built MOUs. The running costs of the new service are forecast to save £0.74 million per annum in operating costs compared to the previous arrangements.
	This service replaces costly and inefficient paper based document management processes, significantly increases volume processing capacity and enables savings to be achieved against other contracts. In addition it also reduces the costs of file storage and is a key enabler for the introduction of scanning services to support universal credit and personal independent payments benefits. The approach consolidated the Department's hard copy mail within the 2 MOUs, provides access to scanned images, digital storage and automated notifications providing a more cost efficient and sustainable solution for the future.

Personal Independence Payment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to Annex 6 to his Department's Lot 1 Contract with Atos, what the evidential basis was for the assumption that 75 per cent of personal independence payments new claims referrals would involve a consultation assessment.

Michael Penning: The Department's guideline assumptions were its best estimates at the time, in the early stages of programme development, based on experience of employment and support allowance and disability living allowance assessments. All assumptions were stated to bidders to be indicative only.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that black, Asian and minority ethnic women are informed of their right to appeal against decisions regarding benefits or jobseeker's allowance sanctions.

Michael Penning: Where a benefit decision is appealable, this includes a decision to apply a sanction, that right must be notified to the affected claimant. There are no exceptions.
	The Department is committed to monitoring the impacts of its policies and, as far as practicable, we will endeavour to use information from a number of sources to monitor the experiences and outcomes of ethnic minority groups and the other protected groups.

Unemployment Benefits: EU Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many EU migrants living in the UK were in receipt of unemployment benefit in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Currently we check the immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud. While this information is used, it is not recorded as part of the payment administrative systems.
	However, we are reforming this system and under universal credit we will record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

Welfare State

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that black, Asian and minority ethnic women are not disproportionately negatively affected by Government welfare policies;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of which demographic groups are most affected by changes to welfare policies;
	(3)  if he will commission research into whether black, Asian and minority ethnic women are disproportionately negatively affected by Government policies.

Esther McVey: The Department regularly publishes impact assessments associated with announced policy changes and does not intend commissioning additional research at this time.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Employment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward legislative proposals to restrict hon. Members from having jobs beside that of a Member of Parliament.

Andrew Lansley: The Government have no plans to bring forward such proposals. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life have previously recommended that MPs should remain free to have paid employment unrelated to their role as MPs, and that this is desirable in performing their role (1st Report Committee on Standards in Public Life).
	It is important that there is transparency about what MPs do, who pays them and for what. The House changed its rules before the last election to ensure that this detail is shown in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. MPs are here to work for their constituents and that should remain the principal purpose of all MPs elected to this place.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department offers to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

Kris Hopkins: DCLG has provided £42 million of grant so far this spending review period and has committed a farther £10 million for 2014-15. We have also enabled the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to invest in business property based in coalfields areas, by changing our approach to the way that the trust is funded. This will help the trust become self-sustaining, whilst maintaining their core activities in support of coalfields communities.

Crisis Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department plans to provide for local authorities in crisis loans in 2015-16.

Brandon Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA278-79.

Housing

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of (a) owner-occupiers, (b) social housing tenants and (c) private tenants were resident in properties in (i) England, (ii) Greater London and (iii) Greenwich Borough in (A) the latest period for which data is available and (B) the date 15 years prior to this. [R]

Kris Hopkins: Historical data on dwelling stock by tenure in England can be found in live table 104 at the following link. This table shows the annual dwelling stock in the owner occupied, privately rented, local authority, private registered providers (formerly known as housing associations or registered social landlords) and other public sector tenures. Taken together, the local authority and private registered providers tenures comprise the social rented sector.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	Data on dwelling stock by tenure in each local authority district, from which Greater London totals can be calculated, can be found in live table 100 at the same link. This table shows the annual dwelling stock in the private sector (ie owner occupied and privately rented), local authority, Private Registered Providers and other public sector tenures, from 2009 to 2013.
	The Department publishes estimates each year on the number and tenure of households in England, through its annual English Housing Survey. The latest report estimated 22.0 million households in England in 2012-13. Overall, 65% or 14.3 million were owner occupiers, 18% (4.0 million) were private renters and 17% (3.7 million) were social renters.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the proportion of private landlords renting to tenants in receipt of housing benefit; and what steps he is taking to ensure people in receipt of benefits are not excluded from the private rented sector.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 11 February 2014
	In the private sector, local housing allowance rates are used to determine the maximum amount of housing benefit that a claimant can receive. Since April 2011, local housing allowance rates have been set at the 30th percentile of market rents.
	Reflecting this, in the majority of areas, around 30% of the private rented sector is accessible to tenants in receipt of housing benefit. Housing benefit is a safety net; it is not intended to allow people to live in better accommodation than that available to those not reliant on benefits.
	Notwithstanding, the Government has set aside £45 million in 2014-15 to increase local housing allowance rates in certain local areas which have diverged from market rents.
	It is up to individual private landlords to decide who they rent their properties to; however there is no recent evidence of any problem with exclusion, based on housing benefit claims. According to DWP figures, there were 1,655,359 housing benefit recipients in the private rented sector across Great Britain in November 2012 and 1,645,504 in November 2013.
	Overall, such housing benefit arrangements allow welfare claimants to have access to decent housing; they provide a work incentive; they ensure a fair deal for the taxpayer and they help tackle the deficit left by the Labour Government.
	This Government wants to make the private rented sector more accessible, which is why we have taken steps to tackle the small minority of rogue landlords; we have avoided excessive regulation that would shrink supply and push up rents; and we are investing £1 billion through the Build to Rent fund and £3.5 billion in guarantees to get builders building. The overall rise in housing supply from increased house building will also flow through to more homes to buy and rent.

Housing: Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made by local authorities in extending eligibility for home improvement grants and loans to include flood resistance and resilience products for properties in high flood-risk areas.

Kris Hopkins: To help homeowners better protect their homes against the future risk of flooding the Government has created a new scheme providing grants of up to £5,000 to homeowners and businesses that have been flooded since 1 December 2013. The repair and renew grants will be available to pay for additional flood resilience or resistance measures for homes and businesses, helping to reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding. Local authorities in flood affected areas will administer the scheme, and are working closely with key partners like the ABI to ensure it is cost effective and provides the right support to those that apply. This is in addition to the discretionary assistance local authorities can already provide to homeowners.
	On Thursday 20 February, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced details of flood support packages for homeowners and businesses in England. Information about these can be found on the Government's web pages here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses
	Support for other parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for the Devolved Administrations.

Leasehold

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he last reviewed the purposes of LEASE; and if he will ask LEASE to make a public report to him on the problems in the leasehold sector known to LEASE.

Kris Hopkins: LEASE currently highlights issues raised with them in their annual report and frequently asked questions and articles on their website.
	In April 2011, Cabinet Office announced that all non-departmental public bodies still in existence following the reforms brought about by the Public Bodies Act would have to undergo a substantive review at least once every three years, starting in 2011 to 2012. A triennial review for LEASE is due to commence in 2014 and report by end December 2014.

Local Development Orders

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local development orders have been issued by local authorities in each constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.

Nicholas Boles: The Government has radically simplified the process local authorities in England must follow to put in place a local development order by removing the Secretary of State power to intervene prior to an order being adopted. Local development orders are an important local tool that can be used to encourage development and growth.
	As there is no longer a central approval process, monitoring of new orders is dependent on local authorities informing my Department whenever they adopt a new order. To avoid unnecessary regulatory burden on local authorities there is no set time period for when my Department should be notified. Table 1 lists the local authorities in England which we are aware have adopted local development orders.
	My Department does not keep records or monitor local development orders that may have been adopted in other parts of the UK outside of England.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of local development orders adopted by local authorities 
			 Local authority Local development orders adopted 
			 Allerdale Borough Council 1 
			 Arun District Council 1 
			 Aylesbury Vale District Council 1 
			 Birmingham City Council 3 
			 Bristol City Council 2 
			 Burnley Borough Council 1 
			 Cornwall Council 3 
			 Dacorum Borough Council 1 
			 Darlington Borough Council 1 
			 Dover District Council 1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Council 1 
			 Flyde Borough Council 1 
			 Great Yarmouth Borough Council 2 
			 Harlow District Council 3 
			 Harrow Council 1 
			 Hartlepool Borough Council 3 
			 Herefordshire Council 2 
			 Hull City Council 1 
			 Kettering Borough Council 1 
			 Leeds City Council 2 
			 London Borough of Havering 1 
			 London Borough of Newham 1 
			 Middlesbrough Council 1 
			 Newcastle City Council 1 
		
	
	
		
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 1 
			 North Tyneside Council 1 
			 Northampton Borough Council 1 
			 Northumberland Council 2 
			 Norwich City Council 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland District Council 2 
			 Ribble Valley Borough Council 1 
			 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 3 
			 Sheffield City Council 1 
			 South Ribble Borough Council 3 
			 Sunderland City Council 1 
			 Swindon Borough Council 7 
			 Thurrock Council 1 
			 Vale of White Horse District Council 1 
			 Walsall Council 1 
			 Waveney District Council 5 
			 Wolverhampton City Council 1 
			 Wyre Forest District Council 1

Local Government Finance: Coventry

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department has allocated to Coventry city council in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 11 March 2014
	Details of Local Government Finance settlements for all local authorities including Coventry for 2014-15 and previous years going back to 2010-11 are available at these addresses:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2014-to-2015
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ssas.htm
	The overall spending power figure for Coventry in 2014-15 is £2,152, which is above the England average of £2,089.

Local Government: Fixed Penalties

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the overall fairness of both the level of charge and the enforcement procedure of penalty charge notices issued on behalf of local authorities.

Brandon Lewis: The most recent official statistics (for 2009-10) show that 9 million parking fines are issued a year by local authorities in England. From 1997-98 to 2010-11, local authority total income in England from parking rose from £608 million to £1.3 billion; net profits from parking rose from £223 million to £512 million in the same period. A recent survey by LV= car insurance has estimated that councils now hand out 10.7 million fines a year across the UK, and British motorists pay out over £30 million each month in parking fines
	Councils in England are forecast to make £635 million net profit from parking charges fines in 2013-14. Yet legislation passed by Parliament is clear that parking charges and fines should not be used to raise general revenue. However, some councils are raising money illegally from parking.
	In July, the High Court ruled that one London borough had illegally hiked parking charges to raise general revenue. The BBC television programme, Inside Out, has also drawn to my attention parking contracts signed by local authorities where outsourced parking wardens are rewarded for issuing more fines—in flagrant breach of the Government's operational guidance to councils. The Local Government Association's own participatory budgeting tool has also encouraged councils to raise parking charges and fines as a source of general revenue.
	Such practices are a breach of fundamental constitutional principles from Magna Carta, the Petition of Right and the Bill of Rights: taxes should not be levied without recourse to Parliament, and the justice system should not be corrupted to raise money.
	Unreasonable parking charges and fines push up hard-working people's cost of living. If parking is too expensive or difficult, shoppers will drive to out of town supermarkets or just shop online, undermining the vitality of town centres and leading to ‘ghost town’ high streets.
	Higher parking charges and more parking fines were the explicit policy of the last Government. Labour DCLG Ministers called for councils to charge for more services, including parking, bemoaned that: ‘Only one in five councils are using charging to the full potential... [such as for] reducing congestion’ (Speech to the Local Government Association, 2 July 2008). Planning guidance issued by the Labour Government in 2001 (so-called PPG13) told councils to hike parking charges and adopt aggressive enforcement to discourage drivers.
	By contrast, this Government has already:
	Scrapped the Whitehall policy that pressured councils to hike car parking charges as a ‘demand management measure’ to discourage car use (PPG13).
	Removed Whitehall restrictions which restricted the provision of off-street parking spaces;
	Abolished the Whitehall policy which inhibited parking charge competition between council areas, and instead introduced a new policy that says parking charges should not undermine the vitality of town centres;
	Introduced a policy that parking enforcement should be proportionate;
	Issued new planning practice guidance on removing street clutter and encouraging the provision of shopper-friendly parking space provision; and
	Introduced the local retention of business rates, which means that councils benefit from business and retail growth in town centres, rather than just hiking parking charges.
	In December, the Government published proposals for consultation to reform parking rules further including:
	Stopping CCTV being used for on-street parking enforcement;
	Supporting local shops by updating parking enforcement guidance;
	Tackling wrongly-issued fines and removing disincentives for appeals;
	Stopping unacceptable parking fine collection practices;
	Reviewing unnecessary yellow lines and the scope for residents' reviews;
	Reviewing the grace period for parking offences; and
	Freezing parking penalty charges.
	The Government is also updating the local government Transparency Code to increase information about local parking charges and the number of parking spaces.
	To further facilitate public scrutiny on parking fines, I am today placing in the Library of the House, a table showing the amount of money raised in parking fines in each local authority in England. I hope this illustrates the need for the further reforms we have proposed.

Parking: Urban Areas

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential benefit to traders of free parking in town centres.

Brandon Lewis: Research by the Association of Town and City Management has shown that there is a clear relationship between parking provision and high street footfall. The association has highlighted that there are concerns that that aggressive municipal parking policies are now stifling local trade, and councils' pursuit of car parking revenue in itself has ‘forgotten’ the original rationale for parking management. It notes concerns of shoppers being turned off by rigid enforcement policies and unwelcoming parking wardens.
	Mary Portas' independent review on high street policy has also noted:
	“The ease with which out-of town retailing can be reached by car means that high streets do not have the luxury of pretending that car-based access is not convenient for shoppers. It is. And yet in many town centres I have visited for this review parking has been run-down, in an inconvenient place, and most significantly really expensive.”
	This Government believes that councils should be treating drivers and shoppers fairly and promoting their town centres. Local authorities should be regularly reviewing their parking policies to support their town centres.
	This Government has already:
	Scrapped the Whitehall policy that pressured councils to hike car parking charges as a ‘demand management measure’ to discourage car use (the Labour Government's ‘PPG13’);
	Removed Whitehall restrictions which restricted the provision of off-street parking spaces;
	Abolished the Whitehall policy which inhibited parking charge competition between council areas, and instead introduced a new policy that says parking charges should not undermine the vitality of town centres;
	Introduced a policy that parking enforcement should be proportionate;
	Issued new planning practice guidance on removing street clutter and encouraging the provision of shopper-friendly parking space provision; and
	Introduced the local retention of business rates, which means that councils benefit from business and retail growth in town centres, rather than just hiking parking charges.
	In December, the Government published proposals for consultation to reform parking rules including:
	Stopping CCTV being used for on-street parking enforcement;
	Supporting local shops by updating parking enforcement guidance;
	Tackling wrongly-issued fines and removing disincentives for appeals;
	Stopping unacceptable parking fine collection practices;
	Reviewing unnecessary yellow lines and the scope for residents' reviews;
	Reviewing the grace period for parking offences; and
	Freezing parking penalty charges.
	We have announced that will be extending the local government Transparency Code to increase information on parking revenue and the number of controlled parking spaces. This greater openness on the money raised from parking charges will allow residents to ‘go compare’ with neighbouring councils.

Party Wall etc Act 1996

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will review the workings of the Party Wall Act 1966.

Stephen Williams: The Department has no current plans to review the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. However, the Department has reviewed the guidance on the Act to make it simpler and updated to include answers to regularly asked questions, for example the coverage of a party wall award; what to do if a building becomes unsafe or if there is excessive noise from work being carried out; and the role of the Party Wall surveyor. The guidance can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance

Private Rented Housing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the proportion of private sector lettings not available to tenants in receipt of housing benefit.

Kris Hopkins: In the private sector, local housing allowance rates are used to determine the maximum amount of housing benefit that a claimant can receive. Since April 2011, local housing allowance rates have been set at the 30th percentile of market rents.
	Reflecting this, in the majority of areas, around 30% of the private rented sector is accessible to tenants in receipt of housing benefit. Housing benefit is a safety net; it is not intended to allow people to live in better accommodation than that available to those not reliant on benefits.
	Notwithstanding, the Government has set aside £45 million in 2014-15 to increase local housing allowance rates in certain local areas which have diverged from market rents.
	It is up to individual private landlords to decide who they rent their properties to; however there is no recent evidence of any problem with exclusion, based on housing benefit claims. According to DWP figures, there were 1,655,359 housing benefit recipients in the private rented sector across Great Britain in November 2012 and 1,645,504 in November 2013.
	Overall, such housing benefit arrangements allow welfare claimants to have access to decent housing; they provide a work incentive; they ensure a fair deal for the taxpayer and they help tackle the deficit left by the Labour Government.
	This Government wants to make the private rented sector more accessible, which is why we have taken steps to tackle the small minority of rogue landlords; we have avoided excessive regulation that would shrink supply and push up rents; and we are investing £1 billion through the Build to Rent fund and £3.5 billion in guarantees to get builders building. The overall rise in housing supply from increased house building will also flow through to more homes to buy and rent.

Private Rented Housing: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the proportion of private sector letting not available to tenants in receipt of housing benefit in Essex and Chelmsford.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 15 January 2014
	In the private sector, local housing allowance rates are used to determine the maximum amount of housing benefit that a claimant can receive. Since April 2011, local housing allowance rates have been set at the 30th percentile of market rents.
	Reflecting this, in the majority of areas, around 30% of the private rented sector is accessible to tenants in receipt of housing benefit. Housing benefit is a safety net; it is not intended to allow people to live in better accommodation than that available to those not reliant on benefits.
	Notwithstanding, the Government has set aside £45 million in 2014-15 to increase local housing allowance rates in certain local areas which have diverged from market rents.
	It is up to individual private landlords to decide who they rent their properties to; however there is no recent evidence of any problem with exclusion, based on housing benefit claims. According to DWP figures, there were 1,655,359 housing benefit recipients in the private rented sector across Great Britain in November 2012 and 1,645,504 in November 2013.
	Overall, such housing benefit arrangements allow welfare claimants to have access to decent housing; they provide a work incentive; they ensure a fair deal for the taxpayer and they help tackle the deficit left by the Labour Government.
	This Government wants to make the private rented sector more accessible, which is why we have taken steps to tackle the small minority of rogue landlords; we have avoided excessive regulation that would shrink supply and push up rents; and we are investing £1 billion through the Build to Rent fund and £3.5 billion in guarantees to get builders building. The overall rise in housing supply from increased house building will also flow through to more homes to buy and rent.

Shops: Community Development

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to examine the (a) effectiveness and (b) possible legal implications of a cumulative impact test for high streets and the local community.

Brandon Lewis: The National Planning Policy Framework supports local authorities in ensuring the vitality of their town centres. The Framework enables local authorities to require an impact assessment of large retail, leisure and office development outside of town centres, which are not in accordance with an up-to-date local plan. The framework is clear that where an application is likely to have a significant adverse impact on investment in town centres or their vitality and viability, then it should be refused.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer (a) Question 187552 tabled for ordinary answer on 13 February 2014 and (b) Question 187551 tabled for ordinary answer on 13 February 2014.

Brandon Lewis: Questions 187551 and 187552 were answered on 11 March 2014, Official Report, column 165W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Badgers

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Independent Expert Report on the badger cull in Somerset and Gloucester before the debate on the badger cull takes place in the House on 13 March 2014.

George Eustice: No. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson) has just received the report of the Independent Expert Panel, and is considering it. We have always made clear that we will publish the full report and will do so in due course.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council has explored how the public can improve their understanding of community risks, including those associated with flooding; and whether his Department has implemented such findings as appropriate.

Dan Rogerson: The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council published its review “Rising Levels? Public awareness and understanding of risks from flooding” in December 2009, in which it made eight recommendations. These have now all been implemented.

Floods: Property Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress he has made on making property owners unable to lay impermeable surfaces as of right on (a) front gardens, (b) back gardens and (c) business premises.

Nicholas Boles: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Permitted development rights for England introduced under the last Administration allowed property owners to lay hard surfaces around their properties subject to certain limitations. Homeowners can install a hard standing at the front of their house, but if it is larger than 5 square metres it must be porous, or any surface water must be directed to a porous area in their garden, or the homeowner must make a planning application. Business owners can only lay an impermeable hard surface around their property if surface water is directed to a porous area, unless there is a risk of ground water contamination. There are greater flexibilities in the type of surfacing that home owners can use in their rear gardens.

Fly-grazing: Wales

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to prevent horses being fly-grazed in Wales being moved over the border to England.

George Eustice: There are a range of measures that can be applied to tackle fly-grazing horses depending on the circumstances. Later this year, local authorities and the police will have available new measures designed to tackle antisocial behaviour including fly-grazing, when provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Bill come into force. In using the legislation, we advise enforcers and interested parties to work together to identify perpetrators to enable appropriate action to be taken and to tackle the root of the problem.

Horse Passports

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many visits and checks Trading Standards has carried out in relation to equine passports and microchipping since 2005.

George Eustice: DEFRA does not hold information on the number of visits and checks made by Trading Standards in relation to equine passports and microchipping.

Legumes

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government has to celebrate the International Year of the Pulses in 2016; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: I met with the Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA) and the British Edible Pulse Association (BEPA) in November 2013. I was pleased to confirm to them that the UK Government supported the United Nations Resolution to designate 2016 as the International Year of Pulses, which was passed in December 2013.
	DEFRA officials are working with GAFTA and BEPA to ensure that Government Departments are fully involved in discussions on promoting the international year.

New Guinea Flatworms

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the threat to UK ecosystems of Platydemus manokwari;
	(2)  what precautionary steps his Department is taking against the arrival of platydemus manokwari in the UK.

George Eustice: The New Guinea flatworm, Platydemus manokwari, has only recently been reported in France and is not known to be present in the United Kingdom. As a result we have not yet undertaken a non-native species risk assessment of this species. However, other non-indigenous flatworms do pose a potential threat to our native earthworm populations and could potentially have an impact on wildlife species dependent on earthworms and on soil structure.
	The principal means of spread of non-native flatworms is through the movement of plant material and soil. A code of practice has been produced by the Government to help producers and traders of nursery stock detect and limit the spread of non-indigenous flatworms by following hygienic practices and inspecting stocks of plants carefully. It is also relevant to anyone with flatworms in their garden. The code is available at:
	www.nonnativespecies.org/index.cfm?sectionid=59
	It is an offence under section 14(1)(a) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) to release, or allow to escape into the wild, any animal which is not ordinarily resident in or not a regular visitor to the wild in Great Britain. As Platydemus manokwari is not known to be present in Great Britain, anyone introducing it to the wild or moving it in the wild would be committing an offence.

Rivers: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency's highest points for each of the rivers on the Isle of Wight are.

Dan Rogerson: holding answer 4 March 2014
	This winter has seen exceptional rainfall; with over twice the long term winter average amount falling over the Isle of Wight. This has led to very high river levels across the island.
	The Environment Agency monitors and records river levels at 14 locations across the Isle of Wight. River levels recorded on the Eastern Yar, the River Medina and its tributaries have generally exceeded previously recorded maximum levels. For the other rivers, levels have been very high but have not exceeded the previously recorded maximum.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arrest Warrants

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the five most frequent grounds for the issuing of a European arrest warrant were in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: The answer assumes that the question refers to European arrest warrants (EAWs) issued by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which is the UK Central Authority for the EAW. Figures for Scotland are collected separately.
	Part 3 Requests by principal offence 2012-13
	Drugs Trafficking: 33
	Murder: 29
	Fraud: 29
	Child sex offences: 29
	Rape: 20.

Arrest Warrants

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which five countries issued the most European arrest warrants in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: The answer assumes that the question refers to European arrest warrants (EAWs) received by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which is the UK Central Authority for the EAW. Figures for Scotland are collected separately.
	Part 1 EAW Requests by requesting country 2012-13
	Poland: 1,664
	Romania: 680
	Germany: 672
	France: 422
	Spain: 408.

Arrest Warrants

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incoming European arrest warrants were received in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: There were 6,263 European arrest warrants received by the National Crime Agency in 2012-13.

Arrest Warrants

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outgoing European arrest warrants were issued in 2012-13.

James Brokenshire: There were 244 European arrest warrants issued in 2012-13.

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in each year since 2010.

Karen Bradley: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Daniel Morgan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will place a copy of each submission to the Daniel Morgan inquiry from the Metropolitan Police in the Library;
	(2)  how many documents have been submitted to the Daniel Morgan inquiry for review to date.

Damian Green: The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel has held 10 meetings since its formation.
	The first meeting was held on 17 September. The Independent Panel will present its final report to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), who will make arrangements for its publication to Parliament. The Terms of Reference provide that the panel will brief members of the family through a final report which is to be made available first to the family and then to the public at large. It is not envisaged that the panel will make material public until that point.
	The Independent Panel has received around 700 documents from relevant organisations to date. This is a very small proportion of the anticipated number of documents that the panel will review. The vast bulk of the material will be made available to panel for review following agreement of protocols with relevant organisations. In the meantime, the relevant organisations have provided schedules of documents.

Dogs: Imports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with ferry companies operating out of the UK on the illegal transportation of dogs into the UK from Continental Europe; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of such measures.

George Eustice: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs.
	Ferry, rail and air operators are approved to carry pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) on the basis that they check every declared pet travelling with its owner (or authorised person) for compliance with the rules of the EU Pet Travel Scheme. These approvals are issued by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) on the basis that the carriers are properly equipped, staffed and have the facilities available to carry out the checks and deal with any instances of non-compliance. AHVLA liaise regularly with approved carriers. In 2012 AHVLA carried out audit checks on 7,700 pets checked by carriers and found only 1.6% of these to be non-compliant. DEFRA officials met with representatives from the ferry and rail companies in summer 2013. The discussion included sharing of best practice for dealing with instances where pets are suspected of being concealed. Concealed pets found by UK Border Force are reported to Trading Standards.

Immigrants: Detainees

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of those detained in each of the last 12 months at (a) Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and (b) all immigration detention centres were considered to have been a victim of torture; and how many of those were released from detention as a consequence;
	(2)  how many of those detained at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre were the subject of a Rule 35 report in each of the last 12 months; and how many were released from detention as a consequence.

James Brokenshire: Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 sets out requirements for doctors at immigration removal centres to report on:
	(1) any detained person whose health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention or any conditions of detention;
	(2) any detained person suspected of having suicidal intentions; and
	(3) any detained person for whom there are concerns that they may have been a victim of torture.
	Reports made under Rule 35(3) are based on concerns that the detainees in question may have been victims of torture, rather than findings that they have been. The issue of a Rule 35 report does not mean that the detainee concerned will be released automatically from detention, or even necessarily that the doctor making the report will have recommended release. It provides a mechanism for information to be brought to the attention of Home Office caseworkers so that it may be considered and the person's detention reviewed in light of it, in line with detention policy.
	Whether or not an individual is released will depend on the specific facts of the case. If a report is considered to amount to independent evidence of torture, Home Office published detention policy states that detention should only be maintained under exceptional circumstances.
	The information provided in the following tables is based on management information only and has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. These figures are provisional and are subject to change.
	Table 1 provides information for each of the last 12 months for Rule 35(3), ie persons for whom there are concerns that they may have been victims of torture, for Yarl's Wood and then all Immigration Removal Centres.
	Table 2 provides information for each of the last 12 months for all three categories of Rule 35 report for Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre.
	It is not possible to provide the numbers of individuals released from detention as a consequence of the diagnosis of any illness without examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Rule 35(3) 2013 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 
			 Yarl's Wood 40 30 35 35 60 70 40 50 50 40 55 45 555 
			               
			 All centres 120 130 120 125 135 135 130 140 145 140 130 145 1,595 
			 Note: Figures rounded to the nearest five (‘-’ = 0, * = one or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Rule 35 2013 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 
			 Yarl's Wood 40 30 35 35 60 70 40 50 50 40 55 45 560 
			 Note: Figures rounded to the nearest five (‘-’ = 0, * = one or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.

Immigration

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pre-action protocols (PAPs) relating to immigration cases were received in 2013; how many of those PAPs her Department responded to within 14 days; how many of those PAPs her Department failed to respond to within three months; and of the cases where there was a failure to respond to a PAP within three months, how many applicants made applications for judicial review.

James Brokenshire: The following table provides the data requested for 2013 (to 30 September).
	Pre-Action Protocol letters and Judicial Review receipts have increased significantly in the past year. This increase, which has primarily been driven by increased decision making, has affected our ability to respond to PAPs in a timely way. Although not legally required to do so, we aim to act in accordance with best practice set out in the protocol. We are working to improve our response rates by increasing staff resources in this area. We already have a dedicated team solely working on Temporary Migration Pre-Action Protocol letters which currently account for the majority of those received and we will continue to recruit more staff in to this area throughout 2014.
	
		
			 Criteria 20131 
			 Number of PAPs recorded 21,439 
			 Number of PAPs responded to within 14 days 2,559 
			 Number of PAPs responded between 15-90 days 2,325 
			 Number of PAPs not responded to within 90 days 15,609 
			 Number of JRs lodged on cases where a PAP had not been responded to within 90 days 4,315 
			 1 2013 data are up to 30 September 2013 only in line with published data timescales. Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information (CID) and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Response totals will not add up to receipt total due to additional outcomes not counted due to data quality issues regarding the timing of receipt of PAP and response. 3. Summary shows total numbers of PAPs recorded, people may have more than one PAP. 4. PAP received figures will be slightly higher than actual PAP figures as the number includes some cases recorded as PAPs which were not served in accordance with the civil procedure rules. 5. We are unable to identify whether the JRs lodged link directly to the PAP recorded.

Immigration

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applicants have made an in-time application for judicial review since 2010 following immigration cases where her Department failed to respond to a pre-action protocol within three months;
	(2)  how many pre-action protocols relating to immigration cases which were received in 2013 her Department (a) responded to within 14 days and (b) failed to respond to within three months;
	(3)  how many pre-action protocols relating to immigration cases were received in 2013.

James Brokenshire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 March 2014, Official Report, columns 819-20W, to the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather).

Immigration: ICT

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made on the Immigration Casework System; and what the cost of the system has been to date.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Casework programme closed in August 2013. The total programme spend was £347 million against an approved financial envelope of £385 million.
	Three core-components delivered by the programme are now in use:
	A caseworking tool allowing paperless decision making and delivering productivity improvements for a particular category of student application.
	A comprehensive immigration search engine allowing case workers across the world to view identity details across 14 current systems, which greatly aids accurate and timely decision making.
	A customer website which allows digital application for certain immigration products.

Internet: Young People

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been of retailers and couriers for the online sale of (a) age-restricted products and (b) alcohol to minors in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information does not include details of the means through which an offence proceeded against was committed—for example, whether the accused offence was committed through online activity using the Internet or otherwise.
	As such, it is not possible to identify from centrally held data cases where a prosecution for the online sale of age-restricted products and alcohol to minors was brought against a retailer or a courier. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MOJ. As such, the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Autism

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number and age profile of offenders dealt with by the police in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) England who were on the autistic spectrum in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold data on whether offenders dealt with by the police are on the autism spectrum or not, and so cannot provide details of these offenders.

Police: Offenders

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 13 December 2010, Official Report , columns 546-7W, on police: offenders, if she will reconsider bringing forward proposals to record the number of police officers convicted of a criminal offence.

Damian Green: I have no plans to bring forward such proposals.